Creating Original Art

The Goliath beetle—nature’s tough, resilient workhorse, carrying its weight with unshakable strength and style. As artists, we can take a cue from this armored icon: thrive by embracing resilience, standing out boldly, and tackling challenges head-on, shell and all.

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.

I would say that I felt out of place my entire school life. Yes I was the weird introvert kid that sat on the bench all by myself to eat lunch and then I’d spend the rest of lunch probably in the library. I think I hated school in every possible way and school hated me. It felt like some kind of prison sentence that I needed to see out before I could become an adult, whatever that means.

Where I did excel tho is art and design and it was the only glimmer of joy that I actually had throughout my school week.

So I suppose you could say as well as art being good therapy for your mental well-being. It also has the ability to turn a difficult and uncomfortable world into something that is bearable.

What it also highlights is that being weird or different isn’t actually the curse that I thought it was at school. In fact being the strange one, being original, being authentic is what’s going to get you noticed in the real world… especially as a creator.

So as a thriving Artist adult in the real world I would suggest that popular term of ‘leaning in’ to all the things that make you weird, original and authentic. Make the art that you want to make for yourself, don’t try to conform to what you think will sell, because it probably won’t. Be 100% you and if nobody is noticing your art, you’re not sharing your originality with the world enough.

I’ve also made it to day 6 of Inktober 👇