Always. Keep. Learning.

Sometimes you have to be willing to look like an idiot.

I don't know who said that besides me. I think I read something like that once but I'm sure it was more eloquent and along the lines of the title "always. keep. learning." The simple point is that we are all good at something or things and we are all idiots at others and there will always be something that we don't know, requiring us to ask questions (or else avoid new things altogether).

Interestingly enough, I've found a great deal of ignorance within my own field. Not only have I found myself behind in the art world by way of technique through lack of education or lack of practice (the latter of which I have been guilty of off and on for years), but also by way of the technical. Or business, as you will. Professional artists know that making a creative living feels like a sad contradiction, as we who are creative so often feel inept in the area of selling. This I could go into further, but I think that is for another post.

My point is this: Don't give up on learning, just because of pride, or self-consciousness, or whatever your issue may be (YOU know what your issues are and if you don't, it's worth the effort to find out). Nobody cares. Honestly. When was the last time you said "Look at that stupid person learning new things?" You didn't say that, because you were too busy worrying about how you looked.

On a personal note I am learning by refining my illustrative style. I'll be honest, it is not really fun. The resulting artwork is rough and not what I want it to look like. Of course what I want it to look like is not comparative to the work I've put in. SO there.

But I'm hanging back and taking my time. I realize that each small bit of progress on a new illustration refines my hand a bit more and though I don't really believe it will be perfected, I do believe it will get better the more practice. (These pictures are examples of what I'm working on currently.)

So I'm learning new techniques, thinking beyond what I've seen done, whilst being inspired by what I've seen done. But most of all, I'm not giving up on my projects until they are done, even if they're terrible.

What are you learning these days?