Why Be a Well Rounded Artist?

When I was about thirteen I wanted desperately to become a portrait artist, and so in that effort I ONLY drew portraits. I read books on portraiture, and watched all sorts of art videos in hopes that my skills of being a portrait artist would develop. I thought that if I practiced drawing something else, like landscapes than I would lose my skills and understanding of human anatomy, proportions, and ultimately lose all that I had learned for portraiture. (Which wasn't that much at this point).

I think many artists are much like I was. We go through a misunderstanding that TOTAL immersion is what will make somehow amazing. I have learned through trial and error that rarely does it ever work like that. 

As an artist it is OK to take a break from what you are serious about doing. I'm not saying that hard work doesn't pay off, because it does, but being able to shift your focus has SO many benefits! 

• Expand your artistic knowledge
• Add new skills to your tool-box
• Broaden your lens
• Bring new understanding to your craft

If you are looking at creating (anything), the media will tell you that you HAVE to be amazing at one form of art, a specific style. Many of the leading artists ARE professional in one area, but you know something? They are ALSO able to create in many other different styles, and mediums -- perhaps not as good, but they do have the ability.

A common mistake that I thought often was, if you want to be a serious realist artist than the road to success is to draw realism absolutely non-stop. That is not, in most cases, humanly possible. To be able to be good at something expanding your lens is essential. The paradigm must broaden for understanding to happen, and growth to take place! It's ok to take a break and try learning illustration styles, caricature, or even landscape painting. Try something that you're not familiar with; embrace the learning opportunity! I'm not saying that you will get where you want to go as you wander all over through your journey. Consistency and persistence IS needed, but the appropriate balance for you specifically is a huge component. 

 Sometimes ... actually a lot of the time in life we MUST dig deep and go beyond our bubble. Reaching outside of our comfort-zone many things are waiting to be learned. The MOST effective learning takes place when we learn things we didn't know we needed.