A very important aspect of being an artist, especially when you’re starting out, is learning. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree thirty years ago, but I’ll never stop learning as an artist. I’ll continue to learn about mediums, substrates, techniques, styles… You may have your own style that you love, but it’s still important to keep learning and growing. My favorite ways of learning about different artists, styles and techniques are:
- Instagram—Follow as many different artists as you can and spend a few minutes every day looking at their posts, and continue to seek out other artists.
- Facebook—I don’t follow as many artists on Facebook as Instagram, but there are some artists out there that are “old school” and only have a Facebook account.
- YouTube—YouTube is great for watching short or long—and FREE—art tutorials.
- Podcasts—I’ve just discovered podcasts and they’re great to listen to while you’re working in your studio, or just cleaning and doing things around your house. A couple of my favorites are Art Biz Podcast and Live Your Art Life. If you have an iPhone, there’s a Podcasts app already on your phone.
- Patreon—Patreon is a website/app where artists have different subscription levels so you can pay as little as a few dollars a month to read their articles and watch their tutorials, up to maybe $100 per month for several tutorials and even a phone call with the artist or personal critique of your own art. You can follow an artist for a couple months and then switch to a new one for a couple months, or follow several at once. I don’t really like to watch TV or movies much so I spend my free time watching videos and tutorials.
- Workshops—You don’t have to travel to workshops and spend days or weeks studying under an artist. You can find hundreds/thousands of online workshops at a wide variety of price points. Some are “live”, but most are videos that you can watch at your own pace.
- Books and magazines—Rent them from your library or start a collection of art books and magazines. They’re great to have on hand as references and inspiration.
- Join an art organization—It’s great to learn directly from others artists just by knowing them and participating in lectures and workshops with them.
Make sure you continue to learn, experiment, and grow.
“When you stop learning you stop growing.” ~Kenneth H. Blanchard
