I’ve just cracked open my copy of Epee 2.0 by Johan Harmenberg. Harmenberg describes in the introduction how Eric Sollee’s fencing system evolved from working within an “area of excellence,” and neutralizing any advantage held by an opponent by forcing them to attack your strongest points. Art is like that, too. In a recent blog post by Tom Richmond, he describes working in different mediums but remaining within your own style:
“…the point is that there is nothing wrong with constantly exploring new mediums and applications for your work, but you need not compromise yourself as an artist by trying to be someone else. Be yourself.”
Be yourself. It sounds so easy, but it isn’t, is it? I’ve been working for years, wondering what my “style” should be, and dabbling in different mediums. Style seems to come so easy to some people. I’m only just now realizing that your “style” should just be whatever comes naturally to you. You can be inspired by other people, but to copy the work of others is to compromise your artistic integrity, and to belittle yourself by trying to be someone else. Don’t work against the grain, work with the grain. If you express yourself better in line, as I do, work in a way which uses line to your advantage. That is not to say you should ignore obvious deficiencies in your skill set, of course. In fencing, if your parry four is weak, you should work to improve it, but in a competition, force your opponent into your six-line to take advantage of your best move.
Developing your own method of expression should come from a place within yourself. I think it’s hardest for those of us who are excellent copycats. Especially when you haven’t been really thinking about how you want to express yourself visually for a long time. Being in the military kind of discourages individual or creative thinking, so I have some ground to make up.
I haven’t found a lot of articles which discuss how an artist develops a personal voice or style, but I’ll post them as I come across them. Martin Salisbury’s Illustrating Children’s Books has some excellent material, but I’d love to see something more comprehensive. Drop me a note or leave a comment if you have any resources to suggest, and I’ll post them here.
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