We all have that favorite room in our house or apartment. The one we feel the most comfortable in. It might be the kitchen chopping onions, the yard pulling weeds or just sacked out on the couch. Wherever it may be, you feel at home in that particular locale.
We can imagine the sum total of art as a house. No, a sprawling mansion filled with hundreds of rooms, closets, basements, and of course secret passages.
As you delve into your painting, music or storytelling, you wander through this mansion, room to room, exploring. Sometimes you spend a little time in the downstairs dining room before slipping upstairs to the cobwebby attic. The more you investigate, some rooms will feel more comfortable to you.
You are learning your style and the genre of your art. Eventually you’ll settle down in one room, maybe the upstairs balcony for it’s stunning vistas. Maybe you’ll sequester in the crawlspace between the walls (my favorite place for the horrific).
Wherever you kick up your proverbial artsy heels, it’s time to decorate. What mood fits this room? Is it sleek and modern (a minimalist style)? Or perhaps sumptuous with a cushy velvet settee (a style filled with metaphors and elaborate detail).
You will begin to learn the secrets of your style and genre in this room. Who you are are as artist. It’s not to say that you might relocate to another room later on (or even switch between different rooms). Perhaps you prefer one style for your written works and a different one for more visual representations.
Explore the house of your mind. Poke around in the rooms. This is where you will make your best work.
Tim Kane
I’m guessing you are moving toward a graphic novel room in your art home.
That has been a dream of mine for a while. I didn’t think I had the talent, but now I’m creating comic panels on a weekly basis. Slow, but getting there.
You’ve always had a wide range of artistic talents. Glad you are broadening your horizons.