Singing is not easy, but at least you have YOUR voice to use. You don't really have to "find it," you just have to learn how to use your body and vocal chords, and then sing in a way that feels good. You own it, it comes from you, and it’s simple like that.
The musical part is kind of hard. How do you write a song that’s truly you? I might argue that you put yourself in the story, you use your own words, you sprinkle in melodies and beats that you like. Again, it’s not easy, but I can see how to approach creating an original song.
But illustration—making art—I hear from so many illustrators that they are trying to develop a style, or they are trying to make a consistent portfolio. I have never had a consistent portfolio and it irks the heck out of me. Why can’t I just KNOW my voice and use it? Or…am I looking at it wrong?
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I was at a conference this past weekend, and I saw lots of artists that know who they are and how they draw. And their work looks like one voice, one album of songs that wind and play together. Mine looks like several different channels but perhaps with the same character in different genres? I don’t know why. But I’ve been told by lots of people that I have several styles and it keeps being a problem.
There’s a, Illustration podcast I listen to, that talks a lot about how frustrating it is to try and stick your work into one “style box” in order to get work from clients. But you know what- it’s really how you get work from clients! The podcast host will interview agents and art reps, and they always say they look for artists with a consistent style. The host hates this, but he’s always polite about it. He knows it’s true. Clients want to look at artists as products that they can buy or hire, because they have very specific needs.
So then- how do we find our own voice in the visual arts? Instead of a physical instrument, we have an imagination and a hand. The artwork you create is a separate thing from you altogether. Many times, no one sees you when they are looking at the art. So your artistic voice is automatically disembodies and abstract, but it’s there.
“Do what feels good,” they say. “Draw what you like,” I hear. Ok….maybe they’re onto something.
Three Determining Factors- Something to Ponder
Dan Berry, cartoonist and creative renaissance man, was on the same Illustration podcast for a different episode, and he said that your style/voice comes from three things: your circumstances, your ambition, and your tolerance of failure. For example, you might only have an hour to draw in the last hours of the night, when kids are sleeping, or maybe your fresh out of college and you have 8 hours a day to futz around. Time and stress levels will probably find their way into your work with how much detail you use, what you choose to draw, and even what type or projects you work on.
Right now I find myself with little to no time, lots of ambition, but a low tolerance of failure. I’m a perfectionist, but I also don’t have large swaths of time, so failing = wasting time in my little ratty brain.
Not Just How it Looks, But What it’s About
Your voice is also about the content you’re making. There’s a story or character that you’re drawing, right? And this comes from a place, just like in songwriting, that requires your own life experiences and emotions about a subject. This is a great article that refers to some writers and how treating your work like it’s a hobby can be beneficial. Do it because you enjoy it and fuck everyone else. In kinder words, Stephen King says, “Write with the door closed.”
So it seems like LOVE is a huge factor in finding your voice. So is synthesizing your life experiences. Could it be a lot more like music than I thought? You definitely want to sing in a way that feels good. If you’re trying to sing like Mariah Carey and it’s killing your alto chords, then quit it. Embrace the Karen Carpenter and move on. Maybe this is the same for drawing and painting. I love you Shaun Tan, but I may not have it in me to paint like that in this season of my life.
Where to Go From Here?
I don’t know. I’m not including art in this post because I want to write for a little while. I think writing and ideas might be the place to start for me. But for others, it might look like doodling for several weeks, trying new mediums. What do you think? I’m writing this post because I don’t know! Haha. But taking one step forward is better than no step. And a weird step toward a stone bridge you’ve never explored, is probably better than heading toward the same road you drive down every single day.
Annie