Improving Art Skills Through Non-Art Activities
Introduction
To engage and practice something makes you better at it; this much is obvious. But what about things that are so vast in concept that they can be improved by not engaging directly in them? Art is one of them, a discipline with a multitude of facets, drawing knowledge from many other areas of life.
Non-artistic skills are necessary for good art because art is a lot about observation and reflection, and art draws its inspiration from the fount of creativity. Creativity is endless and can make connections between things where there are seemingly none, and inspiration can be found anywhere if you just look with the right perspective.
Of course, art is improved mainly by creating art and by engaging creatively in the skills necessary to make works of art, but this essay focuses on the non-art activities and how they influence the work we create. It’s easy to get bogged down and get in a creative block when trying to create art consistently, and one of the best ways to get past that is to do something else. There are also a lot of people who don’t bother doing art unless it’s in a professional capacity or they have a financial incentive for it.
There are many examples of great artists who haven’t been primarily artists, and you should do art because you love it, not because it’s a career. Having a different job or even multiple different ones doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue creativity and the arts. They can be a great source of inspiration and even be vital to your best work.
As an artist, you never really take a break from it; you can do something which isn’t actively engaging in your work. However, you’re always going to have it at the back of your mind or you’re gathering inspiration, information or ideas while doing something else. You don’t stop being creative or artistic when you’re not doing art; that’s just the reality of it, and this is important to remember, especially to help you overcome those creative doubts that will inevitably sneak into your mind.
Overcoming Creative Doubts
A great way to improve your art through non-art activities is to use it to help you overcome creative doubts and hurdles. As stated previously, you don’t ever stop thinking or being artistic if you are such a person by nature, or if you’ve been immersed in it enough for it to become a part of your essence. Then you can do anything, and you’re still going to be engaging with the world in a way similar to how you approach your art. This is very important to realise and to remember, because it can relieve you of external or internal pressure to constantly be producing a set amount of creative outcomes.
If you’re ever stuck on a particular piece of work, then take a break, go do something else. Talk with your friends, your students, your mentor or a stranger even. Engage with life and go about your way to figure out the problem from a different angle. Sometimes someone might say something which is just the perfect line for your novel, or you might witness an event which changes the course of your movie script, or you might see a combination of flowers which is the perfect composition for your painting - whatever it is, engaging with non-art activities often serves as the best inspiration for art. All good fantasy is grounded in reality, and even the most abstract of art pieces have something which makes them understandable and relatable to the earthly lives we live.
There’s something profound in the mundane, and it’s always there if you just open your eyes to it. There’s the famous example of creatives and scientists alike solving difficult problems in their heads while showering. Your mind often works subconsciously to solve the problems you face, and directly disengaging with them allows your mind to operate more freely.
I find some of my most productive ideas come when I’m out walking. Because it allows my mind to freely and without hindrance engage with my work, while being a bit distant from it. I don’t have to commit to any of the ideas I engage with, and I can simply observe them, either let them leave or catch them if they appeal to me. It’s important to always carry your butterfly net when you’re outside of the creative sphere, so that if anything catches your eye, you’re quick to catch it. Ideas leave quickly if you don’t write them down.
Creative doubts especially come to you if you’re working full-time with art, because of the financial pressure. This is a big reason why a lot of people simply choose not to work with their hobbies or passions, because the risks and stress associated with the thing they love can really ruin it for a lot of people. Then it’s especially important to see how beneficial non-art activities are to art.
Non-Art Jobs
There are many famous examples of people who, for most of their art careers, did things other than art. Charles Bukowski worked at a mail office for most of his life, all while writing a large part of his poetry. Undoubtedly inspired by his everyday life and the environment he found himself in, it coloured his work and made it recognisably human. Agnes Martin did many odd jobs but was primarily a teacher before becoming a full-time artist. Famous outsider artist Henry Darger never worked full-time as an artist, but produced a 15,000-page novel, a 5,000-page autobiography, and hundreds of paintings and drawings. In his day-to-day life, he worked as a custodian and dishwasher.
There are many more examples, and working to live is a reality for most people. While traditionally a lot of the finer arts have been gatekept by financial funding from the upper classes, and some to this day rely on inherited wealth or welfare to fund their work, others independently support their dreams. Others choose not to work with their passions and hobbies because the financial aspect might spoil the love they have for the craft. There are a million reasons why somebody might work a non-art job while still making art.
Regardless of reasoning, there’s a plethora of inspiration to be found in it, not only in life experience but in artistic value as well. No matter what you do, it will colour your view on life, and it will influence your work. There’s inspiration to be found anywhere and everywhere if you just look for it. Immerse yourself in life, engage fully in your job, in conversation with people and listen, take it in and absorb as much as you can. It will make excellent fuel for your art.
The important thing when working a non-art job is to keep doing art when you have the time and energy. Engaging with your work creatively is a choice, and what you make out of it is up to you. The ordinary and boring create a safespace which lets your mind wander into the most fantastical of places if you let it, and it can be a lot more artistically and creatively lucrative than trying to surround yourself in a high-stimuli environment of constant creativity.
There’s a lot to life, and you don’t have to do everything immediately. Enjoy the odd bits and pieces for what they are, but don’t put off doing the work you love. You don’t have to make money from art to be an artist; you just have to create art, and it’s really up to you if you want to do it or not. There’s no right and wrong that’s applicable to everyone; perhaps your most inspired and greatest work comes from working a non-art job, or perhaps there are other reasons for your employment. Regardless of what it is, I hope you keep creating art, not for money or fame, but because you love it and would do it regardless of what your profession is.
Final Words
There are a plethora of reasons why engaging in non-art activities can actively develop and help your artistic abilities; one could write a book about it, and while this text is much smaller in scope, we have focused on two important aspects of non-art activities. How it can prove helpful to overcome creative doubts and how non-art jobs can provide the tools necessary to create great art.
Creative blocks or other artistic hurdles can be difficult to navigate, and sometimes engaging in some non-art activities is the best way to get past them. You may find inspiration in the non-artistic, and you may find that the answer comes to you once you stop looking for it. Staring at your project can limit your imagination, and you can definitely get in the way of yourself. The best might be to get out of the art environment and just engage with the other aspects of life.
You can have a great idea while walking, or doing the dishes, or the answer to a particularly difficult creative block might just come to you while you’re out and about. It’s important to be ready to catch ideas, and it’s important to remember that you can engage creatively and view everything in life artistically. There are profound things about the mundane if you just look carefully. Everyday jobs and situations have inspired artists since the beginning of time.
Many artists have had side gigs to support their dreams, or they’ve never even worked full-time with their art. Whether it’s for financial security or fear that making a business out of what they love could spoil their work, many have remained in professions unrelated to art for a long time, or even indefinitely. Non-art jobs can provide a lot of benefits, and as paradoxical as it might seem, they may even be what’s best for your art at times.
Jobs aren’t necessarily permanent things, and they’re not the determining factor of who and what you are. Being creative or even an artist doesn’t mean you do it for a living; it just means you do it, and the most important part is that you do it because you love it. If you love it, you’re going to do it, no matter what your job title is. The important thing is that you keep doing it.
If you look closely, there’s plenty of artistic inspiration to be found around you, and sometimes the best way to develop your artistic abilities is in fact to engage with other aspects of life than the specific art activities.
