Thanks a Bunch

Productive Procrastination

I have a bit of a productive procrastination problem. I know this is something a lot of people struggle with. Though I am starting to wonder if my laundry only gets done when I have some other tasks to be working on.

To that end, one big way this has shown up in my art career is with courses. I often feel like I’m just one course away from really breaking through.

This is, of course, a bit of a myth. Courses can offer a lot when you’re trying to learn a new technique or genuinely don’t know where to start with something. But for me, it’s easy to fall into the trap of collecting courses instead of making things. I’ve been subscribed to this newsletter called See You which is a lovely newsletter about art and creativity - and I was reminded of this thing that I knew deep down but didn’t really want to admit: I don’t need another class.

Less Courses, More Art

So I took that to heart and I’ve been spending more time just actually making art. And it’s been lovely. I started a mug project which I’ve been slowly chipping away at. I’ve been practicing in my sketchbook more, playing around with visual note taking and trying to find my style.

Building Out a Portfolio

It’s been nice taking this solid break from doing courses and just making art. But lately, I’ve been drawn to the idea of taking my art more seriously. And with that, I have a goal of building out more finished, portfolio pieces. So I’ve decided to take a break from my course break - but this time strategically.

Avoiding Decision Fatigue

Part of my portfolio build goal is I want to try to make more finished, intentional pieces. And when you want to make a lot of big art, it’s easy to get caught up in decision fatigue. I decided to sign up for Skillshare again - because a lot of artists I like are on there, and a lot of the classes are built around how to make a specific thing. So I’m breaking my course rule for a little while - but with intentionality. Here are my constraints:

• Pick courses that are related to a finished piece I actually want to make (like a greeting card, or a surface pattern)
• Try to use the course as a guide and not a direct copy (e.g. use the concepts but come up with my own art idea, or try to infuse my own style with it)
• Only pick something if I know I can produce a finished piece or two from it.

Punny Greeting Cards

With this in mind, I’ve been wanting to play around with creating punny fruit greeting cards in the style of a vintage seed packet. Jess Miller’s Handlettered Greeting Card class was perfect for this. It gave me some structure, some great tips, and helped me get back into hand lettering which I haven’t played around with in a while. Above is the finished piece and I’m pleased with how it turned out.

I think there’s more I can do here, but in the meantime I think this new strategic course-taking is working. Excited to dive into the next one!