I was listening to the MicroSpy podcast episode with Jesse Draxler back in the middle of May of this year and in it Jesse mentions that not much had changed for him in terms of isolation and staying inside. That really hit home with me, someone who’s more of a homebody, and would rather stay in and watch a movie, or paint something, rather than go to the local pub and knock a few back. But outside of this normalcy, the whole world has gone into a state of shock, and fear.
No one was outside anymore. The streets were empty, highways had very few cars on them, and all of my closest friends became super quiet and we all had to stop our usual hanging out. Moods and mental states of some of the most happy people I know, dropped like they had just inhaled aerial nerve agent. The lack of normalcy in my life has lead to 2020 being the slowest year for producing art for me.
Like I said before, nothing really changed for me, I was still at home, still doing my usual thing of staying at home most of the time, but there was something in the air, something was off. There was a universal mood shift, and it heavily effected me, and my will/want to make art of any kind.
I’ve still made some art this year, which I’m very happy with, and thankful for.
I also launched my online print store this year, and now have piece of my art all around the world, which is a super weird feeling but also a very nice one.
October was a good month for art, lots of inktober prompt lists to work with, and the spooky vibes were at an all time high, so my work got shared around quite a bit on Instagram, but even with all of that, I failed to make three paintings I really wanted to have done in time for Halloween, to do a big giveaway, and I didn’t get around to doing it because the motivation wasn’t there.
I’m working hard on getting motivated to make art, not for anyone else, but for myself. When I’m making art I feel free of all negative thoughts and emotions. I’m not even really me anymore. I create this false reality in my mind and I go there, leaving the physical body behind, but also using it as a tool to paint what I’m seeing in this other world. It’s 100% an escape from the world, and it feels good to go in, to get out.
I’d also like to start blogging more, but I haven’t got a clue if I have enough things to say to keep it a scheduled thing.
To anyone who reads this, keep your head up, stay positive, and go make some art.