Everyone has a goal that they wish to obtain. Some goals are set as tall as Mt. Everest. Others are as deep as the Pacific Ocean. Having these goals are great because we become focused on what it is that we want to do and accomplish. Sadly the mentality of wanting it to happen overnight clouds our thoughts and easily frustrates us. Trust me I am not saying we shouldn’t have such goals but what I am saying is all of this takes time. Everything is hard work no matter how you see it. To get a certain amount of page views that requires an article a day. Just like for artists we gain followers by drawing something every week or so. Making that stunning web page so people can know you? Took a lot of research and effort. We all know many Greats in various fields which in turn should be our inspiration. We have to understand these very people did so much to get where they are today. I am told it is not the end result that matters but the journey. When that Journey ends choose another and continue walking and trailblazing ahead. You have to put in over 100% to get what you want and to be there. So look at your goals again and pick one you really want. Begin that path and never give up. If it is not for you put that one down and go to the next one. You will succeed in something and get that feeling of fresh accomplishment!
Inspiration
Unlocking Passion (Part 5)
The Key to the Hidden Lock
This is the final segment of the Unlocking Passion. If you have never read the series but it would be best to do so. I am just an ordinary person just like you and trying to help others find their passions and turn them into Careers. Unlocking Passion 1, 2, 3, and 4. Try the system and you may just discover things about yourself you never knew existed.
So finally we made it to your hidden lock and you want to open that giant door but you have no keys.You went through so many trials and you tried to do so many things to find your passion to change into a career. So what’s the key? I want you to take 3 guesses as to what the key is. Figure it out yet? It’s you! Now I am sure you are looking pretty confused. Sit real fast before I let you walk through your personal door.
We have the most important and at times the most dangerous tool within our bodies which is the brain. A good majority of the time we tend to hold ourselves back with just about everything. This goes with our passions and even our learning abilities. When we want to move into something not common to society thoughts ruin our chances of chasing the dream. Society is another major influence that bends our keys to believe that it is not the “in” thing for the moment. We always listen to the outsides instead of being happy for ourselves so when we come to our many doors our keys don’t look like keys at all.
Only you hold the inner keys to your unlimited potential and only you can unlock your own doors. Nothing is ever easy but if we determine to find more about ourselves and uncover more potential then I hope this program helped you a bit. Now keep in mind it is never too late to go to school. It is never to late to chase a dream. You live your life for you and no one else. Now Imagine your door and imagine your key to that door. You have come this far don’t fear the doors. They are there for you for a reason. Only you hold yourself back from opening them. Now if you feel you are ready go. I want you to explore more passions and create a career. Create happiness for you and help others along the way.
This concludes the Unlocking Passion Segment. I hope this helped you discover more about yourself and that you finally can move forward. Good luck and I would love to hear how this helped you and what Passions you have uncovered. Keep in mind it is okay to be nervous but don’t let it or society tell you that you can’t. Go and discover what only you can do with your personal keys.
Unlocking Passion (Part 4)
Welcome to Part 4 of Unlocking Passion. This is a deep exercise to help people discover their Passions and take the reigns of it no matter where they are in life. If you are brand new to this segment you should start in the first segment and work your way up to the latest. I am not a professional just a common person like you wishing to help you along the way. Unlocking Passion parts 1, 2, and 3. Alright beautiful people lets take a step back and see what we have explored about our current passion of choice.
First to answer the question that is coming to mind: “Why take so long to make the next part?” Well first it is to clarify a few points. 1. When you are exploring your passion one key you have to keep in mind is Time. Patience is a very important aspect because nothing is instant. Now forgive me but if you were sitting at your computer and itching to get more information week after week then you really weren’t trying to explore your passion like you should have. Another key element is work. Yes it is a lot of hard work. Some of your passion you run through your supplies like water. For others your time doesn’t exist as your time but as someone else as you make things for them. If hard work and dedication really aren’t your things then you should take the time to answer your own question of why do this when other instant things are out there for you.
Now that we are clear that Passions take Patience and Dedication then we can begin our segment for Part 4! Now unfortunately I can not post a character design on here because I need to have the creative tag on it. But I did work on a sheet of one of my characters. So please keep this in mind as we explore our personal thoughts.
Alright you should have the evidence of the Passion you were working on the past month or so by you. I want you to take the time out to look through your works. How did you feel when you worked on them? Did you do research on your passion? Did you get a chance to talk to someone about their passion? Did you go anywhere to explore your options? What you did is very important and the knowledge you gained is just as vital. Now remember I did a positive and negative chart in out last Part? You will be doing this now for yourself.
As an artist I tend to go through emotions when I draw. Reasons vary but the main keys is: being in the image I wish to convey to the world, capture the attitude of a character and portray them correctly, and the aide I use affects me. What do I mean by aide? Well that also is a range of things and you can find them in my first post called the Art of a Blank Wall. I will use:
Sable for my Lycan Goji. Again I am not releasing much information about my characters but follow my other sites and you will meet him. The aura and beat of this song helped me draw his lycan form of “Unleashing the Beast” from within at his breaking point. To me it was a rush of dominance and power which I wanted to portray with Goji from every angle. I had to do a lot of research about wolves and more on the fit human body. My creativity spurts were random at best and I was up at random hours of the night working. I am a night owl so sleeping is rare in my case. But I felt progress was being made and I was enjoying it. After I finished however my wrists were hurting a bit but that is a small price to pay for my character sheets I developed for him.
Positive: I have a feel good factor and a can do attitude. I am learning new ways to create characters. Knowledge of everything related to this is a plus for any field.
Negative: Want to visually revise my character constantly. Random spurts of energy at random hours. Physical pain and mental fatigue.
Now all this doesn’t mean I will stop because I am in pain. This is a passion I wish to follow. This is why I do what I do and enjoy doing it because I am doing it to make my clients happy and get myself into the world of art differently. Now look at your own list. Is this something you want to continue doing? If not repeat the former step and choose a different passion until you find the nitch. Next Segment we will discuss the Key and you will have the finale of the piece!
Unlocking Passion (part 2)
Butterfly Lovers: Performed by BeiBei
Welcome everyone to part 2 of Unlocking Passion. If you haven’t read part 1: Unlocking Passion (part 1) then please take the time to do that one first. These are exercises and creative thought processes to help people find their passions in life and make them more than just passions. I am not a teacher just another person with passions giving my personal insight that has helped me move forward to happiness. Now for those continuing with the series let us do a brief recap of one! First it was recalling our first childhood dreams of what we wanted to become as kids. Went into our teen years and did the same. We discovered that the list changed and some became refined. This is a very normal process but it also got us to explore other options such as what we held on to and what we changed completely. Then we explored degree choices we wanted to obtain and lastly taking a deep reflection of our current work space.
Lord of the Rings: Elven Music and Melodies
Well now that we recapped we shall explore the next segments of this Passion. I want you to grab that list you made last week and I want you to study it. Keep all your Passions in mind because we will revisit them again. Now the list I asked you to make about work I want you to take a good look at it and think about it. If you have not made it please take the time out to do so. At my current employment I enjoy these key qualities: The main people I work with, Including a few managers, sometimes the people I encounter, the fact I am helping people look for something and seeing them leave happy. Now for me I am in retail so my list will always remain short. Looking at your list you should come up with some questions. Why you like this quality the most does not count as one. Why? It is too broad of a question which in turn gives too broad of an answer. Almost like finding a needle in the haystack sort of metaphor. You want to pinpoint the said quality because this is what will help you with building a support network for your Passion.
Something like this should be asked per quality: Who is it that you love working with the most? What makes this person approachable? What is one word you could use to describe said person? The deeper the question the more intuned the answer. These key triggers are what helps you find the people you want the most to work with you and traits you should always carry when talking to clients. To protect identities I am not going to name people I actually work with but I will name their traits. Person A: Always makes me laugh to keep spirits high when the workload tends to make me depressed at times. Person B: Understands when things are too overbearing and despite being a manager they always help out while managing their own tasks. Person C: Always teaches me something new since company policies change very frequently. Person D: Looks for guidance and yet gives challenges that help me see things in a different light. Customers who actually know what they want tend to ask questions about said product and sometimes teach me something new about it as far as other uses. Many customers tend to be somber but the ones who smile back and chat even for a little tend to be happier people and brighten my day as I brighten theirs. Helping others is something my grandparents and my mother embedded into me at a young age. When you help someone you make the world smile even if it is for a moment. One smile leads to another and in turn more smile back.
Make your list yet? Please do not worry if the list is small or if this is not a strong suit and ‘I don’t know’ seems to be the common answer. We are human and sometimes we do like something without even knowing why. It is a subconscious occurrence and the ‘like’ has a far deeper meaning than we know of at the moment. As I was told likes are the easiest descriptions we can give and it usually tends to make us smile. Now look at your meanings and what do you see that stands out? For mine, in the order, is as follows: Laughter, Understanding, Learning something New, Challenges, Knowledge, Happiness, and Helpfulness. To some people this list may seem irrelevant and to others not as important but these are qualities I love to carry with me all the time. Save this list and we will come back to it later.
Now we will think of something that tends to boil our blood as a figure of speech. What qualities about your current ob seem to piss you off or upset you a lot. It can be small or it could be major but it has to be something that you would love to see change. I will answer why in a little bit but make your list. Being asked to handle one task and believing there is a time table to have one massive task done before tackling another. Rudeness, which is very common among our higher level managers, not just to me and other employees but to our customers as well. Trash customers leave throughout the store. Customers opening packages and destroying items. Children running around unsupervised and something happens. Now majority of the times I have noticed our negatives will very much outweigh the positives. Now again no broad questioning you have to pinpoint what it is you don’t like about said quality. This is important because this is what follows many around and don’t know it. But we will get into that soon. My peeves are as follows: Time tables, Rudeness, Uncleanliness, Property Damage, and Endangerment.
Alright we have out list of positive traits and negative traits. Now I want you to go back to your Passion List and select just one for now and I want you to imagine you are finally working your dream career. I won’t call it a job because a job is just for money purposes with no attachment or passion to it. A Career is a passion you love to do no matter the hour or your current condition. So being in this career job lets say you put out a survey to your clients and your positive traits are all mentioned. So Sally loves the fact that we meet and we can laugh and have a great time together. As I work on her image she gets to see all the works in progress and she and I can discuss changes to make the image look more appealing. Sharing the knowledge of why I changed a rose into a lily or swapped the colors of the vase to make this work much more in harmony is important because I want to have this client return. But to me I don’t want to see you as just a client I want to see you as a good friend who supports me and loves my works.
Positive qualities are just that. Positive auras that emit from us when we feel great and people around us react to it. Now lets say in the comment section of what should change lists all your negative qualities or your pet peeves list. Sally may love my art but my time to see her may be inconvenient for her. So I need to learn to be more flexible with making time available around her schedule. I may not be a rude person but I come off a bit standoffish or how I respond is rude. Even what I say, although may not be meant, came off as rude. Now I would never leave trash at someones house but I might have said something to Sally that may have seemed like her input was nothing but trash. The negative traits make us feel bad right? That is what it is supposed to do when you point out flaws and with sincere hurt comes sincere change.
Now this leads us to our part 2 Changing Negatives into Positives! No matter where you work every job has positives and negatives. If you can’t find a negative in said job then you aren’t looking and you are just blindly following. Everyone has a peeve and most companies tend to work that peeve although not intentional. Now looking at the list you may very well be thinking I don’t do these hings at all but I deal with it every day. Well a part of us actually do this every day although it is not the same. We have to change ourselves to see this change occur around us. Now lets take my Time Table peeve. At my current location I can have 8 pushing arts of items that need to be placed back on the floor in order to be sold. Most managers, at least those who don’t do the amount of work you do daily, will give you a time limit to put said items away. Lets say I was told to finish in 1 hour and a half with 8 baskets. Most of the time we try to remain positive and state we can do this. But the basket contains small items like pens, pencils, folders and individual markers. you technically have 8 baskets of small items compared to it being toss pillows and bed sets.
Despite them wanting me to get this done in their allotted time I have no help and more push baskets are brought making my work load past the amount the manager wrote before hand. I maybe a little sick but deny to miss work because I need the money. Now when the manager returns they are upset because I managed to only get 2-3 baskets out of the area and yet have so much to do when I should have been done. Flexibility is apparently not there along with other factors but I make it known to a manager that I can trust about my situation and when I have a coaching I saved myself from getting into trouble. When I constantly inform someone that I am far more comfortable with about my time table I was given and what the load actually is the flexibility becomes visible and they work with me to help ensure that said manager understands that I am doing the best I can alone and that other things come up. When i work in said department I am no longer given a time table but, “Please do the best that you can while here.” I changed my negative into a positive.
Now you maybe looking at this and you might be slightly confused. Here is where positives work hand in hand with a negative to eliminate the problem and boost your morale. My negative is the time table and my positive was a manger who is far more understanding and someone I can trust. I talked to this manager privately and told them my situation where they in turned talked to the manager who gave me the time table to where they removed said time table so I can focus on placing all items in their correct locations and help the customers without worry of being in trouble.
Any negative can be changed into a positive. Now although I have done this my new challenge is I don’t work fast enough. This is the cycle we all face. We are presented with a challenge and we have the 2 options available. We either figure out the problem and break through or we run from it completely. This Karmaic Cycle is what everyone faces. If you run it will return and it will be harder to solve. But if you try and figure it out, with or without help, you can change this problem, negative trait, into a positive one. This is not always an easy thing to do so please keep that in mind. It is never meant to be easy it is meant to be a growing experience because when you grow you will know what you need to do.
So what does this have to do with your Passion? Everything! When you see your passion as a career that you love no matter what you want to make sure it grows and that you succeed correct? Where we are currently is the consequence of past actions and how we move into what we want we must conquer what is in front of us now. What challenges you face now can be over come but it is up to you to see what needs to be changed. It is a challenge that is hard to see at first this is why I had you do your current job with positive and negative traits.
I want you all to be aware that everything even careers have their high and low points. All positive and negative is around us but you have to know what to do when it happens in your career. Passions again will come and go. Some fade and others become finely tuned. When you know how to approach your negative traits now they won’t be so problematic later. Look at your list of Passions currently and I want you to make a positive trait and negative trait branch for your top 3-5 passions. You don’t have to list everything for each one but at least 3 would be a good start. In part 3 we will start to formulate the Passions into a deeper level.
The Art of the Blank Wall
From the Artist deep within to the writer looking at the screen we all have the Blank Wall come up. For some of us it more often than others. Sometimes we know we need to get things done and it is there stretching both ways for what seems like miles. Regardless of when it comes it gives us all the same feeling and we all ask the same question, “Why am I stuck?!” I had this issue all day yesterday but I managed to do a process to bring out an idea. How you ask? Well let me share some tips on things you never would have thought could help.
First you have to have a theme or a word on what you want to convey in your expression. Sometimes it comes to us in an instant and at other times it takes hours sometimes days before we have anything come to mind. Take a good look at my peacock image. If you notice the white he is incomplete. This digital concept image I have been working on and off for a while. If you have any drafts or in progress folders then go through them. Sometimes a draft or former concept can help trigger a mood or stimulate your mind to crank out ideas.
Okay so if the drafts or the former concepts then try looking through your online social pages for complete images. Go through galleries based on a similar mood. With Goji here I wanted a summer theme and typed in summer in Deviant Art. After pages of surfing the web the concept of surfing came to mind. Looking at your own gallery or even someone elses can help you come up with ideas not just for your current concept but even for your future concepts. A nice key of support to the piece that helped you: Like, Fave, Comment, Etc. Keep the encouragement coming because this artist may help you again in the future.
Now I know this may seem like an odd concept but if images of your common expression isn’t inspiring you to get your current piece on the role try crafts. If you work on crafts try even doing a little bit for a while. Swashes can be saved for an idea later. My recent project I finished is a Gift and color is something I always want in my pieces. This inspired me to have Goji paint on a giant platinum koi. If needlework isn’t your thing try sculpture, paper crafts, woodwork, or metal work. There are many types out there to search of so give it a shot.
Depending on your project it can really rattle our brains for a long time. Sometimes too long and it gives us headaches or slightly irritate us. If your mind ever reaches that point relax and take a break. For many people meditation away from the work space can help. Take a walk around the block or head to a park. Try relaxing to calm your mind it may actually help. It can be a bubble bath, massage, or even aromatherapy. A relaxed mind can help you think better so give it a shot if the others aren’t working for you.
Lets say you have tried many options for inspiration but this blank wall is not budging. Maybe you have a scribble on this massive wall but it is not noticeable unless you are close. I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but video games can help. It is another form of art in motion which involves many forms of expression. Writing, Conceptual Art, Music, Environments, etc. I play games constantly and mostly Fighting and MMORPG’s. Games can help provide moods, ideas, color palettes, even transitions, movements, and dynamic poses/actions. This image of Twisted Fate from League of Legends actually helped me set the “Dark” mood for my next piece I am currently working on now. It can be a small game or even a children’s game. Remember it is stimulation that you are seeking so be open to many options.
If you are not into gaming but you enjoy movies or TV shows then watch a movie you enjoy but see it through different eyes. Pay attention to the details like lighting, environment, mood, body language. Break down your favorite series and notice the storytelling and how the actors go through each scene. Breaking down can help you not only see through a director’s eyes but from the artistic view we can see things many don’t see. The environment and lighting may actually help you with your current piece on how to convey the scene more or make give you a different pose that may read better compared to your 30 drafts from earlier. Pause your movie/show and look around strike expressions or poses. Imagine an empty set without the actors. This is for inspiration and stimulation. Keep this in mind as you continue drafting until you have your AHA! moment.
By now you have tried everything you could think of and you thought you had covered all bases. One that I use the most is Music. If you listen to mostly Hip-hop or R&B try something different. Do Classical or Soundtracks even go through International Music. Many people don’t try to expand their horizons. Music, despite being in another language, still conveys emotion and sends a message. You may not understand it but you feel it and that still triggers an emotion out of you. I listen to K-Pop to help me trigger a certain mood. J-rock for character emotions. I will go as far as to type in an instrument in Last.FM and listen to something new which helps me add it to my library for later usage. Music is on of our biggest influences and many people don’t really notice it too much.
Music impacts our lives everyday almost all day. From the tunes on the radio to the orchestrated piece through the movie theater. Setting the mood for the scene and taking into account the environment and subtle lighting effects help set an emotion in your heart. Despite the actor being real or computer generated the games convey the same aspect. We are in the story running through their world and seeing through their eyes as we try to help them succeed in their story. The calming music in the game playing through your speakers help you relax a little. Maybe you bought the track and now you play it as you walk around the park relaxing your mind so you can work on your piece. Sitting on a park bench and you notice the stone work used for it. It is functional art and yet you see it as inspiration. You are on track to getting things to work out in you mind. Returning home you go through your drafts and now after a process you have come up with an idea and different views in order to get your current piece rolling.
Regardless of how you go about it the basics are as follows: Blank wall + you = Blockage. But Different Views + Inspiration + Drafts = AHA! When we are blocked we are seeking inspiration, enlightenment, vision, whatever you want to call it we have to build blocks of inspiration. Think outside the box is the normal statement. I say walk outside the box and just stroll. Go through the least thought of things that you never would try to use as an inspiration. It is everywhere around us. From the coffee mug you use in the morning which is functional art. The pictures in a gallery are art and the book you have by your bed? Art as well. From the fancy diner plates to the play held at your city performance center. We have inspiration all around us. Still stuck? Then why aren’t you looking? I have and I see a world without a blank wall.
We Heart Art 