Update

I'm sorry for the lack of posts.

This semester is in full swing and the homework is in overdrive. I wanted people to know that I post almost daily images to my tumblr account. It is my photoblog and I only put up my work there. One day, the two blogs will complement each other.

 http://evan-norman.tumblr.com/

 The real reason is that I am trying to turn this blog into something that gives out inspiration in addition to showig my best work. I would love to update every week or at least twice a month. I should be making this happen soon. Homework is just too heavy at the moment.

 Thanks for looking,
-evan

How to succeed?

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. I got married and went on my honeymoon. Not to mention that somewhere in there I finished my finals for my second semester at TAD and I am currently in Kansas City attending the TAD summer workshop.

I am constantly looking for the big picture. That picture is where will I go with my art, how can I get there, and how can I ensure that I take care of my family. That's a lot to think about when I am still learning how to draw, paint and compose.

I'll let Michael Jordan make my point today



Michael is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. The man worked everyday to become as good as he was and even when he was a professional, he failed. What made him the greatest is that he never gave up and never stopped trying to better his craft. I know it is a sports reference video but it applies directly to art. The struggle and road to become a professional artist is the same as the path to become a professional athlete.

So I write this because this video gives me the motivation to go out there and fail. Fail hard so that I can learn something. Have a goal in mind and to do whatever it takes to get there. To go out there with every intention of succeeding. I am not in this game to be mediocre.

Let's keep going. Let's keep climbing and embrace your faceplants. Get right back up again and laugh about it. Recognize what you learned by that failure and move on.

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I have some inspirational links on the right side of my blog and I added a few today.

Dermot Power

Rodolfo Damaggio 
Floriaan Satzinger
Yoshitaka Amano

Peder Mork Monsted

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Here are bunch of drawings and paintings from the 2 months. 

 

Thanks for looking,

-evan

May 11 - Fear of Failure

In my internet adventures I came across a video from Milton Glaser about the Fear of Failure.

Milton Glaser is the graphic designer that made the 'I Love New York' Logo. This video might apply to some people out there. Milton asks is it failing that you really are afraid of? or is it the criticism and embarrassment that follows. Are we afraid of being exposed because we don't know what we are doing??

He went on to say that it is the self criticism that comes with failure that is the subject of our fear. Afraid of being exposed and forced to acknowledge the fact that you are not a genius. Because we all know that geniuses don't fail. As people and artists, we are constantly praised for being amazing or geniuses. Most parents think that they child is the second coming of Michelangelo. But the truth is, you are not special and you are not a genius. Mike Lim (Daarken) had a blog post about his evolution as an artist and it took a long long time.

So, how do we conquer the Fear of Failure?? Embrace It. Embrace Failure. We learn through our failures. We reach mastery through loads of failure. One of the times that I met Android Jones he said that if he didn't fail in a piece it meant that he didn't learn anything and it would have just been an exercise.

Anyways. I thought the video was inspiring. Failure is a part of my everyday life here at TAD and it gets frustrating. I am not afraid of failing. I know where I am and where I want to be. I know the path that must be taken and I know it's hard. Failing doesn't get me down but I get myself down. I have a Fear of Not Being Good Enough. Not being good enough as a son, a fiance, a friend, and as a student. This frightens me all day everyday.

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I have some inspirational links on the right side of my blog and I added a few today.

Victor Juhasz

Phroilan Gardner 

Chris Rahn
Daarken
Shorpy (Antique Photos)

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And of course here is some art work that I have done in the past couple of weeks. I had to stop attending the figure sessions at school because my wedding is at the end of the month and finals are due next week.

 

 

 

-evan

May 11 - What's Next?

Do you guys know what happened on yesterday? It was the end of the 'Great Funk of 2011'. Yep, I officially got over my almost 2 week funk. I think it was finally conquered because I honestly just stopped caring. Stopped caring about how much I suck. I am in school to learn how to draw and paint and I am doing that right now. Now that my eyes are a bit more focused? I can ask myself these questions while having a smile on my face.

"What's Next?"
-more.

"Where am I going?"
-up.

Basically, as long as I breathe I will keep moving forward. Forward towards the future that Jena and I yearn for. To the people who read this blog, thank you for taking some interest in how my life unfolds. I hope your life is going as planned, and if it isn't. I hope it gets on track soon. Remember to ask some basic questions about where are you? and where do you want to be? Does question one lead to question two?

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Oh, by the way. There are a few images. First is a painting from life that I did last night. It was my first time painting from a fixed timeframe or from a live model. Next is a oil painting study of He Kongde - A chinese painter. Last is a 45 minute study of an Adam Ford drawing.

Thank you,
-evan