Try something new

Monkey had never used the rainbow gradient in Photoshop. Now he has.

Try something new. Be a beginner again.

Be thankful for what you have, but don't be satisfied. Especially with your art. It's important to continually grow and experiment in finding the best mediums to express yourself. Some of the best architects are also the best photographers. A sculptor is also a filmmaker. A painter is also a screenprinter. "Why," do you ask? Because no matter in what medium we work in, something translates. We can see color in painting and in photograph. We understand light through three dimensional sculpture. We understand movement because we understand stillness. Being an artist means constantly exploring the seeming "paradox," or the unknown.

Sure, if you've never tried drawing before you may not be happy with your first drawing in comparison to your skillful photographs, but that shouldn't stop anyone from trying something new. As an artist we try so damn hard to learn one thing in a lifetime, to become "masterful" at something. Although it's good to have a goal and be dedicated and focused towards that goal. But a goal for the sake of the goal becomes yet another work.

Art thrives on something new, something not yet formed, something you are trying to grasp but don't know how to communicate. It's quite frustrating, but it's valuable to be a beginner. Occasionally, we have to let loose, and stop taking the art so gosh darn serious.

It doesn't work to drag our artist self to the easel, hand it a brush and say, "now, paint." No. We have to start the creativity by doing something crude, crazy, totally "BAD" art. Something happens when you allow the artist self to create "bad art" and relieve it from the pressure of perfection. Only then, can we move on to exploring deeper ideas, delving deeper into our craft, and creating something that's meaningful to us.

So what's the big deal in trying something new? Never knitted? Draw? or taken photos? There is no big deal. Poop poop.

The things in life you will regret are the things yet to be tried. Figure out something new that you would like to try. What is it?