Why the Fine Arts Fascinate Me
When it comes to being creative, my mind always turns first to the fine arts.
It’s more than just an obvious must-have on a creative website; it’s also at the core of my personal passion for creativity.
I grew up in a house filled with music, and a family loaded with musical genius. I played instruments, but my talents took a detour; sketching and “painting with pencil” was like breathing for me. Art books, art mags, art classes, art museums… art, art, art made up the whole first half of my life.
Control addict that I am,
I felt instantly magnetized to colored pencil, where I could command color and micromanage every fussy, finicky detail of my projects.
It helped, too, that I had some natural talent here.
There was talk of art school but, frankly, the reality of it disturbed me. After visiting a few student art exhibits and seeing metal tables with red spattered saw blades and explicative-covered canvases, I was SUPER sure that I wasn’t “angsty” enough to make the art scene.
I beefed up on business instead - a handy tool belt for any career path. And my equine (horse) courses gave me a stronger connection with, and anatomical understanding of, my favorite drawing subject.
I half-heartedly launched a post-college, pet and home pencil portraiture business, but can I be real with you here?
I dreaded every project.
Every.
Single.
One.
I was creating to please others, and felt choked by the responsibility. What if they didn’t like it? What if I wasn’t as good as they thought I was? It became easier just to drop the whole thing, than to change course or - heaven help me - face my demons.
Nearly two decades later, I’m remembering what I lost track of in my self-imposed Dark Age - fine arts are deeply, soul-baringly personal. The magic happens when you create for yourself first… then allow your creative soulmates to discover you like the treasure that you are. Whether that’s one person or half of earth’s population, your reward is personal fulfillment. And the world will be that much richer for you expressing YOU.
Fine arts can be created with everything from pencil and brush, to camera, instrument and stage. The fun happens when some clever soul comes up with a way to combine varieties of mediums, tools, and/or techniques in an entirely unique way. And since the possible combinations are endless, there’s a fantastically good chance that YOU will be one of these brilliant pioneers!
For the purposes of exploring new art worlds, I’m especially geeked to try a variety of visual fine arts… stay tuned for adventures in pencil, ink, paint, pastel, photography and more!
I’m pretty certain that I’ll circle back ‘round to colored pencils - they just feel like home. But along the way, why not become a stronger, more versatile artist with a MUCH bigger bag of tricks?
Which is YOUR favorite fine art, and why? Which mediums would you love to expand your horizons with? Post in the comments!
