Dear Insider,
Yesterday, over 120 participants turned up to learn how to draw tiny people! I am blown away by the response to this workshop. It is incredible to see so many people make space for drawing in their lives. And I am grateful that they would choose me as a guide in this journey.
In the video attached to this post, watch one of the several demos I did to explain my approach and technique.
The next workshop is on Saturday, 18 November. Remember, paying subscribers get FREE seats in all virtual workshops and events. Free readers, you will get the link later this week in another email. (Or, you can sign up to become Insiders and grab your free seat too!)
In today’s post, I want to answer an oft-asked question - “How do you develop a style?”
The SneakyArt (Insider) Post is written for paid subscribers and patrons of my work. Every Sunday, I offer a behind-the-scenes look at my latest projects, and share deeper thoughts from my journey as an artist and writer.
Obligatory Disclaimer
While this is an important subject, I hesitate to get into it.
I do not want to be the guy doing commentary, and I loathe the terms “should” and “must”. I never listen to anyone who tells me what to do. So I do not want to tell you what to do. Feel free to completely ignore me.
I only know what I know, which is less than what I think I know.
There. Now that I have disclaimed myself, let us proceed.
What is Style?
“Once, is a mistake. Twice, is an idea. Three times is style.” - Miles Davis
I share this quote before every workshop. Take care to not lose yourself in the pursuit of “eliminating mistakes”. Good art is not perfect art. In fact, perfect art does not actually exist. (Sorry, AI-bros.) What gives value to art is its humanity. This means human inspiration and skill but also all the stuff we call ‘mistakes’.
Some mistakes are not mistakes but preferences. Some mistakes are inclinations and idiosyncrasies. Some mistakes are the artist’s stubborn refusal to do otherwise. Some mistakes are a consequence of many subconscious influences that even the artist is not aware of, and that fade with changing circumstances.
The artist must be tapped into these mistakes and others. The artist must give them value before anyone else recognizes them. People don’t know.
This is my experience: Staying with your mistakes will give you good ideas. Staying with good ideas, working with them instead of against them, becomes the thing that people call style.
It is the fullest acknowledgment of your abilities and weaknesses, and an innate understanding of inclinations and disinclinations. It is the path you walk carrying all the things that are you.
It is not easy, but it is simple. It will take more time than you think, but less than you might imagine. You will know you have it when you cannot do otherwise. Your style is simply the most honest way that you create.
🎙 Listen to my interview on CBC Radio about making the leap from engineering to writing and art.
