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A Conversation with an Artist

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by
DragonHeart
, 12-05-2012 at 07:47 AM (1441 Views)
So I was talking to one of my coworkers a few days ago. He's an artist, selling t-shirt designs, logo design and commissions for supplemental income when he's not working. Now, logically I know art is just like any of the, well, arts, in that doing it professionally is not easy. It's hard to shake that general societal image though. "Oh, he's just drawing." Bullshit like that. Get it with writing too, despite the fact that so many people these days are alliterate.

But anyways, I had occasion to ask him how much time he spends each day working on his art. I admit the answer surprised me quite a lot. I would have guessed maybe an hour or two at the most, plus what time he spends doing it when work is slow enough. As it turns out, I severely underestimated him.

As an artist, my friend spends a minimum of five hours a day almost every day working on his art. Everything from t-shirt designs to just for the hell of it stuff. The only days he doesn't are the days when everything comes out like shit (we all have those) or the days when he's running errands or doing something socially. Filling up the creative tanks, as it were.

It certainly puts my own writing into perspective a bit. I do not do even a fraction of that work. Schoolwork aside, I probably spend maybe five hours a month on my own writing. If I spent five hours a day writing, I'd probably have multiple novels done by now.

Something to think about.

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Comments

  1. Yoko's Avatar
    If you did want to write novels, going at yoiur own pace is best. No matter how 'into the money' you want to be. And by that I mean you don't need to be making a tonne of money to be recognised as a good writer. Its the content. Whether not you can make a best seller, and with good content comes strategy, technique and time. Writing and artwork of this stature are two different things. Obviously. Don't get discouraged.

    I don't know what you want to get out of your writing career though. I'm just an outsider. I have seen some of your RPs. They're good. .
  2. DragonHeart's Avatar
    Going at my own pace is no good if I never finish anything, though.

    I don't plan on being a full time writer since statistically it's highly improbable--fiction is not a high paying market, unfortunately. But it would be a nice supplement, and it would be kind of neat I think. I've been published a couple times, years ago, and only online. I've never finished anything longer than a short story.
  3. Yoko's Avatar
    Ooooh. I see. Then yes, you do need to step up your game. I do know a little about novel writing because I took a class on creative writing while in college. If there isn't a market for fiction, how did Harry Potter and LOTR become popular? I have a helpful book for this case (I didn't write it...I only write in RPs), but if time is an issue, then wait. I want to write a book myself but I sure as heck don't to do it now. Patience is a virtue. In the meantime write down random ideas in a note pad or journal type thing. Getting things down on paper helps. No matter how random the idea is. I hope that helps. I wish you all the best