"Steal like an artist" and beyond|Finding your true art-style

Is the principle Austin Kleon uses to start the section “Start copying” from his book Steal like an artist. While this book is full of actual good advice that rings true over time, there are some that did not age particularly well and some others that I would have loved to see be develop further. The next chapter finishes with "Draw the art you wanna see," and here is where I have some fundamental disagreement.

Austin Kleon proposes the art making process can be boiled down to making images or concepts that you want to see done to fruition.

If you asked me but a mere month ago I would have agreed with this notion. However, life has shown me other ways. It's been 2 years since I've been doing the art I wanted to see in the world. And here is what I gathered so far: 4 finished artworks, burnout, despise of comission work and my own process.

Needless to say, if in 2 years you only could do 4 finished artwork, you are in the wrong place to be an artist professionally. It was only when I shifted my mentality from "Drawing what I want to see" to "Drawing what comes naturally from me". Only then I started enjoying more than ever in my entire life my art practice.

In 3 days I was more productive with this way than in the 2 years prior. The reason being, I simply loved my method and I didn't want to stop painting. What was more shocking to me, was realising that the art I loved making had nothing to do with the art I love to see and the art I love to collect.

So for me, there is a clear difference between the art you love to see and the art you love to make.

The short answer: you start searching for what your soul needs.

Some people need that freedom, some people need the fantasy, some people need the intellectual stimulation, some people are drawn to experimenting with theories, etc. Whatever it may be for you, after testing with several mediums and art styles, you will eventually find that art process where you get what your soul truly needs; the reason you do art.

A famous quote roaming on the internet is "Fall in love with the process". I believe we have to make one crutial anotation. Is not love like we usually understand it. But a deep sense that the type of art you are doing is the right process for you.

To know if you are doing a type of art that feels right to you, here are a few things you want to look for:

In my personal experience I've been doing 6 years the type of art I wanted to see, 4 years while learning 2 on a serious note. The type of art I would frame on my walls. I rarely had the clues mentioned above and I always had this lingering feeling of worrying about the outcome.

There was a lot of frustration for me in my creative process and deep inside I knew it was not right for me. I simply could never put into words or truly listen to myself. It was only recently that the mere notion of 2 types of art existing within the artist; the one you love and the one you make, could be possibility.

About a month ago I was going through burnout after a long period of commission work. It was time for me to go back to my fine art artwork and I had a few ideas I wanted to make. However, I was dreading so much the notion of working on it.

In my case it was too much planning, too many variables that I had to prepare and I just wanted to paint, feel the brushtrokes, let myself be free and channel my emotions into the painting.

So I told myself what I usually do when I feel burnout: "Just do it. start rolling in the studio". After a few hours into the experimentation and frustration I stopped myself and for once listen to myself. I took 5 minutes and then started on top of that canvas doing abstraction.

I told myself 2 rules: "It doesn't have to look good" and "Do not think". Knowing myself I tend to work with the left side of the brain. Or in more accurate words; thinking too much about the technical part without letting emotions and intuition play into my creative proccess.

However my soul asks for expression and liberty. My thoughts and feelings are abstract. I never truly saw abstraction as a form of art I would do. Yet, I did and I found myself right at home, I was playing with my favourite colour palette, my favourite brushes, mixing and matching art utensils. One canvas after the other, time flew by. In that instance it came clear to me the difference between the art that you love and the art that you love making.

For me, figuration is my home and my language. I speak figuration, I collect it and I adore it. But deep inside, not a single form of figuration can meet what my soul needs. And that's where abstraction does it for me.

While the book steal like an artist have some truly wonderful everlasting tips and habits. This part of the book I wish he developed. Maybe back when Austin wrote the book we was not fully aware of this notion. Maybe he was always doing the type of art that he loved making.

However it may be, I hope to bring you more knowledge about general notions of the art practice. I hope that if you are in a place similar to mine in the past, you now listen to yourself and find what is truly meant for you.

With love,

Daniel Concheso

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