Welcome to week 64 of the Draw or Die Newsletter for Visual Storytellers.
First some housekeeping!
NEW MERCH!!!
Get all the new merch at https://drawordie.co
Our new 2023 DRAW EVERY DAY shirt is locally screenprinted by Revival in Pittsburgh. It’s cool as hell.
3 New Sticker Designs, also available in a notebook pack (re-stock!)
And my favorite, our new Embroidered logo hat, (also made local at Revival)
We ship weekly. (usually on Mondays) Thanks for your support!
PITTSBURGH MEETUP JUNE 27!!!!
Doing our first live meetup June 27th, Tuesday at Federal Galley in PGH. If you’re in the area, more details at this Facebook Event Link. See ya there?
And now this week’s topic….
YOU ARE NEVER DONE.
In life, no doubt, you’re going to have your ups and downs.
The good days and bad days.
Somedays you’re going to feel like giving up, giving in.
Throwing in the old towel.
Conforming.
It’s been an honor for me over the past 64 weeks to have had so many conversations with artists and creators. No matter where we are in our journey as artists, your chosen medium, we have so much in common. YOU are “my people”.
I also see and hear patterns. Things that are said quite often.
For example… the reasons people “QUIT” their art.
WHY YOU QUIT…
Here are the the top 3 reasons I hear more often, in order:
3. You’re not making money with your art.
Or the path you chose with your art didn’t turn into a career.
Then….
2. You don’t have enough time.
And more alarming to me… the thing I’m hearing more often now is:
1. Someone important to you died. And you stopped making art.
This is very sad to me to hear. And I’ve heard it so many times now. And I started to wonder what was really behind this.
This person who died was like their muse. Their hero. In many cases this was the person who really encouraged them, they showed their art to this person and the person really looked forward to seeing it.
Trapped in that Spiral…
Just last weekend at the 3Rivers Comicon I met a young woman, (almost 40) clearly in some deep depression, about most topics. She had nothing to look forward to in life she said. She told me in passing she thought about walking into traffic, but she didn’t want to ruin someone else’s day.
The art she showed me she had done in the past was wonderful. Painting animals in a realistic style. But she hadn’t painted or created in years because of this funk she was in.
The root of that funk? Her Dad had passed away 8 years ago. He was the one who used to take her to farm shows, and she’d see and study the animals. Her Daddo was her muse. When he died, she lost it. She lost the muse.
I knew I needed to go into full-on “ENCOURAGING” mode. It’s very hard to do when there’s such a sad story. It seems the older I get, the more I cry when I hear something sad. I gotta pull it together y’all! 😂
But i felt the need to help this fellow creator however I could. But all I have is encouraging words. Ideas…. I know I can’t take away the pain and the heartache. I know how deep that can run. But I tried anyways….
I think I broke through with some advice… and here it is.
When you lose someone close to you…
Understand this:
#1 THEY ARE NEVER DONE.
Death is not the end. Especially for the living. Your people live on in your good memories and stories of them. Those moments in time that seem painful to remember, will be soothing one day. Hold fast!
And…
#2 YOU ARE NEVER DONE.
As an artist with a creative spirit, even if you choose to quit, you know your are never done inside. You’re just torturing yourself. You do it because YOU MUST.
Ask yourself… would they have wanted to you to quit and be so miserable?
Instead, I suggest dedicating a piece of art, a series, or even telling a story in visuals about this person. Your ode to them. When you draw or paint them, or create even with a feeling about them… they live again.
I suggested to this young lady that she should go to the farm shows again.
“Take it back!” Remember the good memories. Document them. Tell those stories through art. Share it with others. Because someone else, just like her, needs to hear it today.
YOUR ART IS FRIGGIN’ IMMORTAL.
You may come to think of your art as little pieces that you leave behind.
Your little mark or dent in the universe.
Proof of YOUR existence.
Proof of THEIR existence.
YOU WERE HERE.
YOU ARE HERE.
I know this can be tough stuff.
But it’s a journey worth taking.
No matter what life throws at you, please stay encouraged!
🔥This Week’s Drawing CHALLENGE!
“NEVER FORGOTTEN.”
This week, I know this may be hard to do, but I challenge you to draw someone you lost, if not the person, just the feeling or something that reminds you of them.
This person might not be a family member, it might be one of your heroes.
Be sure to tag #drawordieclub on the platform of your choice so we can all find each other (we’re mostly on instagram) Maybe we’ll feature your art in future livestreams and content!
✏️☠️♣️Join the DAILY DRAWING CLUB!!!
Help support the club with five bucks a month and get some nice perks including a quarterly sticker, daily prompts and more. CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Namaste!
Draw Every Day!!!
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