• Facebook
    0
  • Twitter
Puttyverse member? Log in here

Puttylike

A Home for Multipotentialites

  • Shop
  • Articles
  • About
    • About Puttylike
    • About the Team
    • What is a Multipotentialite?
  • Book
  • Community
  • Coaching
  • Help!
    • Work
    • Productivity
    • Mental Health
    • Contact
A home for multipotentialites!

Why Multipotentialites Make the Best Artists

What makes a good artist? Stories. Experiences. Theories. Imagination. Humor. Wit. It's the intangible stuff combined with the skill that makes a great artist.By Guest Contributor

Photo courtesy of Berit Watkin.

I frown whenever I hear people say they don’t know how to draw because I know that they can. They drew when they were little and, just like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it.

But here’s what I find interesting. You don’t tell people you don’t know how to ride a bike even though you haven’t been on one in ages. Riding a bike sticks and it’s simple. Easy. Fool-proof. The goal is to not fall down. And, by golly, if that’s the measurement of success for riding a bike, about 99% of the population can succeed at cycling.

Now let’s compare that to drawing. Who doesn’t know how to hold a pen? Or drag it across the page? Everyone can do those things. The question then, is why, when prompted, do a lot of people say they don’t know how to draw? It’s simple. Drawing, unlike riding a bike, falls into the realm of subjectivity. What that means is that people equate “can’t draw” with “not good enough at drawing to call my drawings art.”

What’s your story?

As I’ve taught myself about illustration and worked as a magazine editor, I’ve realized that everyone has a story. It’s true that certain people have a predisposition towards creating with a pen or a brush, but being able to draw or paint is merely a skill. With drawing as with chopping firewood or knitting, you can learn the techniques and improve over time. Skills do not an artist make.

So what does make an artist? Stories. Experiences. Theories. Imagination. Humor. Wit. It’s the intangible stuff combined with the skill that makes a great artist.

Multipotentialites get this. They’re constantly foraging for information, cross-pollinating their interests with new discoveries, all in the name of curiosity and joy. An artist’s output is the result of his experiences mingling together to form a new thought or idea. And the world is just waiting for multipotentialites to tell their stories through art.

What if you’re not technically sound as an artist?

Most people set themselves up against an impossible standard. Drawing doesn’t come with a measure of success, like riding a bike does. Making art is about having the courage to acknowledge that what you’re creating is yours. There is no standard to reach because you’re unique. Your experiences, ideas, and thoughts, when coupled with your very own form of creative expression, are art.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at these people and at their work and notice that there isn’t anything “perfect” about them. It’s in their imperfection that their perfection lies.

James Kerr of Scorpion Dagger takes characters from Renaissance paintings, puts them into contemporary situations, and makes them come alive using animated GIFs. He has no formal art background. Rather, he studied history and political science at university.

James Kerr

Kate Beaton is a self-taught cartoonist who creates historical comics with a humorous twist. She studied history and anthropology at university.

Kate Beaton

Allie Brosh of Hyperbole and a Half suffered from depression and blogged regularly about it with the help of her comics, drawn in Microsoft Paint.

Allie Brosh

Former art director Brian Rea’s illustrations are simple, yet powerful. He illustrates articles about relationships, love, and heartbreak for the New York Times’ Modern Love section.

Brian Rea

These artists are re-writing the rules about what art is. They’re all different. The one thing they have in common is that they have stories to tell. As a multipotentialite, I’m sure you have many stories to tell too. How about sharing them with the world through your art?

Your Turn

Do you tap into your multipotentiality when creating art? Have you used your range of interests and experiences for creative expression? What stories do you tell?

Amy Ng is a magazine editor turned illustrator and educator. As a self-taught artist, she regularly writes on the topic of entrepreneurship, illustration and creativity; deciphering clues and shedding light on the intersection between them. She keeps a blog at Pikaland where she experiments with her ideas and teaches aspiring artists and illustrators online at Work / Art / Play.

  • Facebook
    0
  • Twitter

Published on October 23, 2014
creativity fear


This article was written by a guest contributor. If you would like to write a piece for Puttylike, please check out our submission guidelines.

Doing/being/exploring ALL THE THINGS is easier with a community!

Puttyverse Huddle Example Did you know we have a private community of hundreds of multipotentialites from around the world? We support each other, share advice and cheer each other on as we building lives and careers around ALL our passions.

Learn more about the Puttyverse and get notified next time we open the doors:

Join the Puttyverse Waitlist

Are You a Multipotentialite?

Take the free quiz + get weekly tips to help you build a life around ALL of your passions:

You Might Also Like...

Add to the conversation... Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Mark says

    October 24, 2014 at 4:46 am

    Nice article. It is true that we never forget how to draw. Unfortunately we do forget to set aside our judgement of how good the work might be.

    I needed to read this now because I am in an artist showcase on Monday night and I’m feeling anxious about it. It’s my first one ever and I was letting the fears of my stuff being “not good enough” rise up inside me. This timely piece is helping me keep things in perspective. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Vincent Imbat says

      October 24, 2014 at 8:41 pm

      Good luck Mark! 🙂

      Reply

Our Mission

Puttylike is a home for multipotentialites: people with many passions and creative pursuits. We believe that, instead of picking one thing and denying all of our other interests, we can integrate our many passions into our lives. Puttylike is a space to help multipotentialites build dynamic, multifaceted lives, in practical and sustainable ways.

Are you a Multipotentialite?

Enter your info to take the quiz, learn about your multipotentialite style and get weekly tips to help you build a life around ALL of your passions:

 

© 2022 PUTTYLIKE MEDIA LTD.

PRIVACY POLICY
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Puttylike
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Articles
  • About
    • About Puttylike
    • About the Team
    • What is a Multipotentialite?
  • The Book
  • Community
  • Coaching
  • Speaking
  • Help!
    • Help
    • Work
    • Productivity
    • Mental Health
    • Contact
  • © 2021 Puttylike