Perfecting Imperfection
“Oh, you’re an art major?” This question makes me panic. After the fleeting moment of pride in doing what I love, that windpipe-crushing anxiety sets in. In about two seconds, one of two things will usually happen: 1) the person will follow up with a condescending “that’s fun,” and I’ll have to attempt to legitimize my career choice, or 2) I will be pressured to draw a dragon on the spot. If I cannot produce a fire-breathing beastie upon command, I risk losing many respect points. The person will give up on me and later tell someone, “oh, yea, she’s an art major now.”
It is this panic-stricken conversation that drives many young art/illustration students—and hobbyists—into a manic pursuit of photo-realistic drawing skills. We think that in order to be respected by our peers, by our professors, by the “non-creatives,” we need to be able to produce a carbon copy of a pineapple. While skills like this are incredibly useful in any art practice, young and budding creatives often lose so much in attempting to chase down realism. When we could be developing our creative process, our imaginations, our risk-taking, we are instead painstakingly copying strands of hair.