I had to breakdown and admit a professional inadequacy this week. I was tasked with a project that involved more artistic skill than technical skills. And y’all? I have NO artistic talent whatsoever. I have COPIOUS amounts of technical skills. Artistic skillz? I AIN’T GOT ‘EM.
It’s funny, because this has come up often in my life. I think sometimes I forget I don’t have actual artistic skills. There are many skills I do have that sometimes mask my lack of natural artistic talent. Using custom pencils is a good idea to have in order to make some art work, you can use these pencils from https://www.promotionchoice.com/categories/Office-School/Custom-Pencils/ to make masterpieces coming from your heart, using creativity to express yourself and put your feelings into art form.
One of my skills is Photoshop… I’m really good with Photoshop. I can make photos look better, I can make edits on graphics, and I can follow instructions and make things look nice with my technical knowledge and skills of graphics. If you say, “Make something like this!” I can totally do it. See! Artistic. But if you come to me and say, “Make me a banner,” with no reference points or baseline guidance?
No.
Same in my house. If you say, “We need to decorate this room!” I fail miserably. But, if you say, “I like this Wall Of Frames…We should do something like that!” Then I can totally do it. No problem. But blank walls? Empty room? MAKE IT PRETTY?
No.
I can do those Spirited Art Classes LIKE A CHAMP. Stand in front of me, paint something and tell me to do the same? I’ll KILL IT. I’ll even add my own twist sometimes, and most of times it will look great! But sometimes it looks shitty because if I stray out on my own? Or if you tell me to just paint something on a blank canvas?
No.
I’m a writer. I have 9 book ideas. I have written a blog for 10 years. Unfortunately, creative with words? Not the same thing as being artistic. And I forget that sometimes. I’m like, “I’m a writer! I’m creative! I’m going to make this pretty art project with no guidance!”
No.
Some days I think it would be better if I wasn’t tech savvy, a writer, or creative…because then I would never forget that I wasn’t artistic. Instead I often forget that I have no artistic talent and I jump in all Yes! I can make it beautiful! and then 14 years later it still looks like shit and I’m all…Oh, yeah. I have no artistic talent whatsoever.
And you? Creative? Artistic? Tech Savvy? Writer? Or all of the above? Or none of the above?
This hits home for me. I’m a writer and marketer, and I’ve recently been tasked with making videos for my company. Videos! Like, “shoot it and then edit the footage so that it’s a great team-building movie we can show to the whole company. Here’s a camera and some software!” Uh… thanks? I’ll get right on that. After I watch every video making tutorial on YouTube. (headplant) It’s assumed I can do this intuitively, because I’m “creative.”
I agree 100%. I’m a knitter, and can follow a pattern with no problem whatsoever. I can substitute yarns, tweak sizing and adjust a few small elements, no problem. But create my own pattern? Not in a million years. Same with sewing and other crafts. I make myself feel better by saying I’m a “craftsman” (or craftsperson?) and not an “artist.” And the world needs both, definitely.
I firmly believe that no one needs to do everything. You have fantastic skills that you can use collaboratively with other people. I think we tend to forget that we can lean on others and feel that we have to do it ourselves ALL THE TIME. You don’t. That’s why people often pair together for creative endeavors–a writer and an artist do a comic book, a musician and a film maker do a music video, etc.
I can do the pretty, I can create the ad, decorate the room, layout the page. But…
Once it’s done it’s done. There is no other right option. If you think something should be changed, I’m sorry but you’re just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Needless to say this does NOT make for the personality of someone who should work in a creative capacity .. because the people who pay the money like to, you know, have opinions and stuff .. then I get all, “If you think you know so much why didn’t you do it yourself”
So I stick to the technical and stay away from the creative when there are other people are involved. That way if I don’t want to hear their changes or edits I can just confuse them with jargon. “Can’t do that because the garbaldegooks and the hooseitwhatsits would explode” and if that doesn’t work then, “also I would have to get permission from legal first.”
Oh my. This. YES. I even have a picture hanging in my kid’s nursery that I LOVE. I painted it. But… totally copied off something I saw online. The other two canvases I bought thinking I’d do cute name things for each kid’s room? Still in the packaging two years later because I have not idea where to start.
I am the reason pinterest was invented. 🙂