Tag: animation tips

learn by Doing

“The Hanging Cloud” is one of 30,000 woodblock prints Japanese master printmaker Hokusai made in his lifetime. On his tombstone reads the epitaph “Old man mad about painting”.

Any fool can know. The point is to understand. ― Albert Einstein, Scientist

There is, ultimately, only one way to learn and that is by doing. We can accumulate as much knowledge or technique as we can, and have them beautifully and clearly explained to us (the job of the teacher), but if we don’t actually practice it (the job of the student) it never becomes a skill or ability. True understanding comes only from direct experience and realization.

To live as real artists — as true professionals — we must take solid consistent and persistent action. This means of course two big things: one, disciplined regular practice and two, continually pushing the boundaries of our abilities. Failure in either of these areas will ultimately cause one’s learning to stop, or worse, one’s interest in learning to stop.

It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer. ― Albert Einstein

Alberto Giacometti’s studio. I love seeing the workspace of artists and craftsmen — they remind me of scientific laboratories where all kinds of experiments take place.

To stay with a question, an interest in the what, why and how requires a life devoted to learning, devoted to craft and devoted to life itself. This is challenging because when it comes to sustained practice there are few caveats. We must be aware of our natural tendencies to give up. Entropy is a very real thing. Yes, succumbing to fatigue, boredom or laziness is NORMAL (i.e. average, typical, and common). That’s why I like to say that real professionals are not normal — they don’t think, do or act in normal fashion. Because such normal behaviour would yield normal “mediocore” results. Mediocre or average, of course, isn’t professional; that’s the layperson’s level of knowledge, understanding and expertise (which is almost none at all).

To sustain a level of excellence — or the passion required for excellence — we must also continually find ways to surround ourselves with the right kind of people, places and things. Passion, of course, means love/empathy for something. Some people say we shouldn’t rely on inspiration or require it. To that, I say hogwash. No human being — not even the most creative and talented — can sustain a mental capacity that is always upbeat, vibrant and innovative. All time great artists such as Van Gogh, Lucien Freud and even the legendary Picasso often looked to and even copied themes, compositions, and colours of artists that come before them. Same goes with the numerous musicians, animators and filmmakers out there. We all do this and must do this because from time to time, we all need a good boost. Nature, great art, and unique stories share and inspire the human experience. Why not use them?

One of Ian Davenport’s beautiful puddle paintings inspired by the work of Vincent Van Gogh.

So ask yourselves, what do you do, either regularly or randomly, that helps you stay inspired and glued to that beautiful but challenging path that makes you a true artist? It’s an arduous task to be aware and to keep looking and listening. Delaying, walking away or giving up is always gonna be easier. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) the price of the easy, of the comfortable, is always a life imprisoned by ignorance, boredom, and meaninglessness. For professionals or those who aspire to become professionals, we know that that kind of living is far more painful and dissatisfying than facing the challenge of actually doing what we need to do. Doing is process and process is everything.

A path is made by walking on it. ― Chuang Tzu, Philosopher

Energy

In the Original Street Fighter video game, you were always cognizant of your energy levels.

In a gentle way, you can shake the universe. — Mahatma Gandhi

Without energy we can do nothing, but with enough of it we can change ourselves and thereby change the world. And all good art contains an energy that does that, igniting our passions, our memories and our imaginations. For me, great painters like Van Gogh, Matisse, Pollack, and Rembrandt all shift the needle of their craft’s barometer for excellence. Similarly, do great musicians like Beethoven, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck or Leonard Cohen. Writers like George Orwell, Henry Miller and John Steinbeck always excites my soul while great thinkers like Albert Camus, David Bohm and Krishnamurti never cease to trigger my vitality to see more clearly, learn more deeply, and live more fully. Good art humbles the mind and generously opens the heart.

But none of that happens without first the energy required for creating. Each of these individuals, and many more throughout history, found the energy they needed to proceed. Battling the need for physical/financial survival and sometimes even fighting the obstacles of a society unwilling to accept their propositions or artistry, creative people did whatever it took to make their art happen. This means — at least when they were creating — that they discovered or manufactured ways to build, restore and retain their energy levels. For without energy, there is no clarity. When there’s no clarity, the artist cannot see and then all that’s left is blind ambition and a prejudiced mind incapable of realizing the truth.

Our Difficulty Today

We live in times of excess. We have the choice of a multitude of comforts and problems, either of which can deplete us of the energy required to create. We have too much stuff and too little time or energy. It’s no wonder we’re plagued with issues of anxiety and depression. Something can and must be done about it. Here are some things to consider when we feel we don’t have, or have lost, the energy to be creative:

Watch Your Diet

You are what you eat. — Ludwig Feuerbach, Philosopher

To have energy, one must first build the reserves. A wise and healthy physical diet is paramount. Eating poor quality foods not only damages the body but actually damages our thinking. A diet that excites or sags the body drains our brain’s ability to operate at higher levels. If we’re needing or mindlessly using sugar, drugs, caffeine or alcohol to make it thru the day, we’ve gotten weak and dependent on the external. That’s called addiction. Please stop. Food is designed to build the body, not to keep it afloat. Short term measures for success almost always come with long term consequences. Also, eating less (and sleeping less but with quality) saves energy, for the digestive process tires the body (just as over-sleeping does).

Move Your Body

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will involve the patient in the proper use of food, fresh air, and exercise. — Thomas Edison, Scientist

To exercise — to move — the body is obvious yet obesity worldwide is climbing to near unsustainable levels. And should this continue, even socialized healthcare systems will collapse just as privatized ones will further magnify the suffering and poverty that already exists. Our bodies are designed to move, they get sick when they don’t. Also, exercise actually creates more energy. Muscles need to be broken down to grow larger and stronger. Modern technology and convenience has made almost all of us more stagnant and stationary. The body that stops moving, stops its metabolism. That’s right, sitting at the computer all day burns nearly zero calories and your metabolism, which is responsible for burning fat — actually decreases. Exercise can also shake loose bad feelings. I used to tell my students that if they feel down and depressed or excessively worrisome about life, that they should just drop to the floor and do a hundred pushups. I can guarantee whatever emotions they felt beforehand will have dissipated after they’ve worn themselves out physically. Our body language is directed correlated to our mental state of mind and this is something visual artists, especially animators, should already know. But seriously, find some regular routine of moving the body — yoga, sports, dance, walking — whatever it is doesn’t matter.

Empty the Mind

When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun by nettles.― Horace Walpole, Writer

Not enough can be said about clearing the accumulated excesses of the mind. Meditative practices and walks in the park do wonders for resting and emptying our overactive brains. But what’s also important is what we put into it. Constant consumption of news, internet/social media nonsense and even excessive entertainment drains the crap out of our mental emotional spirit. It’s not easy in this busy world with the gadgets we carry but all these things are attention stealers. We need our attention for things that actually matter. Personally, I can spare little time or energy for these insincere thieves of my life. Our minds, both in the short term and long term, have limited capacities. Society’s obsession with accumulation, whether of information, experience or material wealth, is like a plague we refuse to see, the elephant in the room that goes unacknowledged.

Adapt a more progressive mindset

“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” ― A.W. Tozer

No, I’m not talking politics here. Rather, what is of concern is our obsessions with the past and the future. Clinging to the old, fearing the future, whining about this is or that, gets us no where. Worst of all, it sucks our energy dry. Spending the day worrying, justifying, criticizing and condemning others is almost a guarantee we won’t do any good. Complaining is so over-rated. Once we catch ourselves, we need to stop as we would if we were bleeding from our foreheads. Patch the injury, punch down that ego and move on. We’re artists and we’ve got work to do.

Ian Davenport, one of my favourite painters working today, seen here deeply engaged in his process — a process which enables his stunningly beautiful results.