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Back to work, more or less
2 years ago
So is 2022 over? For real? Is it 100% confirmed? Because if it isn't, excuse me if I go back under a rock until it is over...
Seriously though, 2022 has ben by far the most "complicated" year of my life. I can barely remember what I was doing in any given part of it since I've been running in emergency mode pretty much all the time. Among other things: my wife struggled all year with a very debilitating condition; she and our baby got COVID at the same time when he was just 6 months old and the country was in full lockdown; later my aging parents also got COVID and my father developed pneumonia from it barely surviving; I developed carpal tunnel sindrome in both hands; and a number of unexpected renovation works had to be carried out in both our home and my parents' home for various reasons. We all got better and are doing fine now, but it was quite the nightmare ride.
I had decided when our baby was born in late 2021 that in 2022 I'd take plenty of time off in order to take better care of him, yet with all this stress piling up, things got out of hand and I barely managed to get any artwork done this past year. After the couple paintings I completed last spring it's a miracle I could squeeze some drawings (along with a pile of notes and rough drafts for future paintings) into the very fragmented free time I had.
In retrospect this forced hiatus has't been all bad though because it served as a reality check. I collided head-on with all the bad working habits I had developed in the past, when I had both a lot more time for drawing and more free time for reading and pursuing hobbies, and I was also forced to confront all my technical shortcomings, especially the fact that, being self-taught and frankly lazy in a number of ways, I never did the kind of systematic exercises on art fundamentals that help staying productive during difficult times. In the last few months I've prioritized fixing these issues and I've been doing mostly exercises and master studies, especially on composition and color theory which are my weakest points.
Now I'm able to work regularly again, so in addition to going on with the exercises I'm going through the piled up notes to actually get something done. I plan to share more sketches, exercises and WIPs on social media too, maybe as a weekly recap of what I've been up to, since one of the bad habits I need to break is only ever showing finished works.
I'll have to take a break again at the end of February when I'll undergo surgery for the right wrist, and also in May for a long-planned family trip, which is why I won't be reopening commissions until at least June, if at that. But I'm making sure I handle my time better so that a situation in which I completely stop making art never happens again.
Seriously though, 2022 has ben by far the most "complicated" year of my life. I can barely remember what I was doing in any given part of it since I've been running in emergency mode pretty much all the time. Among other things: my wife struggled all year with a very debilitating condition; she and our baby got COVID at the same time when he was just 6 months old and the country was in full lockdown; later my aging parents also got COVID and my father developed pneumonia from it barely surviving; I developed carpal tunnel sindrome in both hands; and a number of unexpected renovation works had to be carried out in both our home and my parents' home for various reasons. We all got better and are doing fine now, but it was quite the nightmare ride.
I had decided when our baby was born in late 2021 that in 2022 I'd take plenty of time off in order to take better care of him, yet with all this stress piling up, things got out of hand and I barely managed to get any artwork done this past year. After the couple paintings I completed last spring it's a miracle I could squeeze some drawings (along with a pile of notes and rough drafts for future paintings) into the very fragmented free time I had.
In retrospect this forced hiatus has't been all bad though because it served as a reality check. I collided head-on with all the bad working habits I had developed in the past, when I had both a lot more time for drawing and more free time for reading and pursuing hobbies, and I was also forced to confront all my technical shortcomings, especially the fact that, being self-taught and frankly lazy in a number of ways, I never did the kind of systematic exercises on art fundamentals that help staying productive during difficult times. In the last few months I've prioritized fixing these issues and I've been doing mostly exercises and master studies, especially on composition and color theory which are my weakest points.
Now I'm able to work regularly again, so in addition to going on with the exercises I'm going through the piled up notes to actually get something done. I plan to share more sketches, exercises and WIPs on social media too, maybe as a weekly recap of what I've been up to, since one of the bad habits I need to break is only ever showing finished works.
I'll have to take a break again at the end of February when I'll undergo surgery for the right wrist, and also in May for a long-planned family trip, which is why I won't be reopening commissions until at least June, if at that. But I'm making sure I handle my time better so that a situation in which I completely stop making art never happens again.
Thank you for all the sleepless nights and anguished efforts to push yourself past your limit just to make sure your family gets through the dark times, even when you were suffering and in need of rest and recuperation yourself!
It is amazing that in between those trials, you have been able not only hold onto your craft, but improve and refine your methods. You are astonishingly resilient and resourceful, but I pray that you'll never have to be forced to exert yourself so hard.
Wishing energy and inspiration to you, in art and all areas of life! May your family shrug off the remainder of the illness, and never be troubled by it so harshly, so you could enjoy life and bringing up your kid together!
Great to hear you got through all of that relatively well, though. Be good to yourself. You've earned it.
In bocca al lupo!
Ironically, I may be joining you, on that hand thing. Got a doc appointment just today to talk about a long-standing problem.
Any especially-unique and amazing finds with your reading adventures?
As for books, I’ve been mostly catching up on art theory and history, but also reading about skepticism and board game design. The latter is a topic which I’m growing very fond of - in fact during the pandemic I’ve worked on a few prototype games along with my wife and local friends, and now we are working on one that looks promising enough to think of publishing it, but it will take a while before we are ready to reveal more.
Oh and I've finished putting together my art book. More on that later on though!
I'd LOVE to see you publish an art book! Count me in!
My design philosophy was quite opposed to what Ultimate Werewolf crafted, heh.
Sad news on the hand appointment though. Doc pretty much said "almost definitely an RSI type thing, and won't likely get better without 4-8 months of completely avoiding the root cause." ... How the hell am I supposed to do that when I'm dead-broke and my only source of entertainment comes from digital stuff? XD Ugh. For now, I will be taping two of my fingers to try to prevent myself from the motion that is the worst contributor. Typing is slower, gaming is awkward, but we'll see. Good luck with yours, and be sure to curse these unergonomic times alongside me. :P
And 200+ copies sold sounds like a nice achievement! I haven't had the chance to play Werewolf but I remember well when it was so famous that it had its own deeply developed fandom. Furry art owes much to it.
As for the poor hand, well, I've tried all sorts of things. I'm just too rough on it. I still wish they had put in the MRI for my peace of mind but healthcare being what it is... That said, this taping trick has at least eased the irritation some already, after only a week.
For all you have been through, and are going through, just know that you are a bright light of endurance, positivity, and skill. I am working every day to become more like you.
good to see you back on arting, too. so things can go back to normal a little more, though I suspect things will never become normal again at all.
And I know what you mean about art. I'm also self taught, just in a different field and struggle with the same things as you. But adopting a sort of "schedule" really helped me in that regard, plus actually studying Character Art and animation.
But, take your time, once you're ready, you can then start doing business as usual.