The dictionary definition of a hobby is – “An activity which someone does for pleasure when they are not working”. We all know that creating art is a great hobby to have.
But what about part-time or full-time artists? “Do artists also need hobbies?”
Purpose of a hobby
Hobbies come with zero pressure, their only job is to make you happy and feel fulfilled.
By the end of 2018, I picked Mandala Art as a hobby as I really enjoyed the process. After a couple of months, I started pursuing more art forms, and creating art became more than a hobby. Drawing became a daily grind for me along with my full-time job. Eventually, creating art started to feel like work because of the efforts I put in.
Creating art didn’t seem like a “time-off “. This made me realize that I have to find myself a new hobby. An activity that piques my interest but also happens to be different from the kind of art I like making.
If you also feel this way then exploring things unrelated to your creative field might be a great way to go.
Hobbies keep the mind fresh and young
Hobbies let you have fun so that you can enjoy and relax. If you are working in the creative field and absolutely love what you do it gets difficult to see if you are overworked. Taking out time for hobbies can bring you closer to a healthy work-life balance.
It might not seem obvious at first but almost all the people I know from the creative field have a hobby that completes their lifestyle. Almost all of them agree that balance is an essential part of their day-to-day life.
I have a friend who is a photographer and his hobby is cycling. Another photographer likes to play the guitar and sing in his free time. A musician who regularly makes time for cycling and skateboarding. An artist friend who likes to travel and another acquaintance who is a full-time artist and pursues dancing as her creative outlet.
Personally, in a span of 2.5 years, I transitioned from having art as a hobby to being a full-time artist. Learning about different art forms is pretty much a part of my work. That’s why I picked up gardening and carpentry as my leisure time activities. Both make me super happy and save me from exhausting myself.
Endnote, there are unlimited options that can help you rejuvenate and relax. Pick anything, if you aren’t happy, drop it and pick another.
Although this post is written for people working in the creative field and their hobbies, it is not limited to them.
I hope this post will make you consider hobbies as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, no matter what your job description says.
I believe in sharing personal experiences, and today I am here with yet another topic close to my heart. So get ready to say, “Hey, that happens to me as well.”
This article is for you if you are from the creative field, more so if you are a beginner. Being able to help yourself is liberating. Especially if you don’t have people who can understand or relate to the details of your creative work. Many of the self-taught artists might not know people from their field of interest.
What made me get over self-doubt?
I have been a self-taught artist for two and a half years now. Most parts of it were spent doubting my capabilities.
At the beginning of 2021, I came across a YouTube video titled ‘Advice for people who feel their art isn’t unique ‘ by struthless.(Link at the end)
Thanks to the YouTube algorithm, I started getting many recommendations where artists from different fields shared their experiences.
So what is it that helped me?
I could relate to what the artists were saying. But relating and understanding the process of creating isn’t enough. Acting upon it is the key. Using the advice provided by other artists helped to improve my approach along with my work habits.
I am now getting comfortable with the whole process of learning art. Accepting my mistakes has become easier. My expectations are now realistic. I can devote the necessary time required for improvement without getting frustrated.
This brings us to the very reason why I am writing this blog post. So that you can learn from my mistakes. My experiences might help you to embrace the learning process, the daily struggle.
You are not alone to have these mixed feelings. Trust me!
Why does the artist in you need support?
Understanding how does the learning process works is essential to keep moving with your creative journey.
It took me two entire years to understand this simple connection. The struggle associated with learning is an integral part of creating anything.
The efforts which go behind doing something new take a substantial amount of time. So prepare yourself not to give up when the ride gets bumpy.
How to get over self-doubt as an artist?
Having doubt about one’s capabilities can be overwhelming for self-taught artists. Feeling that your art is not good enough can cripple your progress.
You will keep improving, but it requires you to keep practising and stay on your path. How to do this?
Simple! Make an effort to know the journey of other artists.
It never clicked to me to read about artists. I was wrong to feel that I am alone. I could see bits and pieces of my personal experience in stories shared by other artists. Now I don’t give up easily when I don’t see much improvement(or slow growth) in my work.
What about the learning curve in art?
With time, I developed a strong belief in the process.
Understanding the time and effort which goes into creating the foundation of art is equally important as learning the art itself.
I didn’t have a peer or a teacher. Tutorials over social media were my source of learning. I could not understand that the roadblocks I was facing were due to my limitations or part of the learning curve.
The frequent feeling “I am not meant to do this” can clip your wings.
My perception and beliefs changed when I read about the journey of other creatives. Most of them were not even from my field of interest. They were doing all kinds of different work. But their experiences were inspiring and relatable.
Learning about the experiences of other artists
I can’t emphasize this enough, especially if you are a self-taught artist like me.
Make yourself familiar with the process of what goes behind a finished piece of art. This can help you grow as an artist. It can improve the way you think and approach work.
Anything that belongs to the category -“behind the scenes “can help you get better. You can read about artists who share their journeys. It is a great way to learn about the creative process. You can also read books written by artists, listen to their podcasts, read articles, and watch videos.
If you are a beginner, you can consider paid or free workshops for learning about an art form. It will give you an overall experience that you don’t get from a YouTube tutorial. This also helps you find people who are at the same level of learning as you.
Summary :
It took me too long to figure out that learning anything new comes with its struggles, less for some, more for others. So the best you can do is to prepare yourself better. Learning from tutorials or pictures can help you discover your interests and successfully create art. But reading about the artists and listening to them will help you grow and evolve.
Once you accept the hard work, you will find yourself better prepared to pursue your interest.
So I hope this blog comes in handy whenever uncertainty clouds your mind. As always, in case you have any questions, please feel free to ask. You can write them in the comment section below.
Also, if you like the article, do show your support by sharing it.
Here are links to few videos which have helped me a lot:
In today’s digital world showcasing artwork online is important for most artists. If you find yourself thinking that your artwork looks better in person than its pictures, then let’s try to do something to change it.
It takes a lot of time to create art. Capturing this art in its true form is important if your audience and future buyers don’t have the option of being physically present to see your work and its details.
Good photos help to show your work better
Learning to take good photographs of your artwork is helpful. Unless you can hire a professional photographer for taking your art pictures.
Nowadays most smartphones have good cameras, making it easy to take good photos. Once you understand the basics, you will be surprised to know that taking nice pictures is not as difficult as you think.
Fresh or Dried Flowers as a photo prop
I am no expert at taking pictures of artwork, but I have made many mistakes in the last 2 years and learned a great deal about art photography.
Even now, I understand/fix details with every single picture, but I feel that I can showcase my work decently through pictures. Hence I feel confident enough to write this article for beginners.
I take all my photos from a regular phone camera in a home setup, so all my tips are more relevant to phone photography.
Stationary as a photo prop
Disclaimer – Please note, these tips are based on my personal experience as an artist trying to take pictures of my artwork. Photography is not my profession. I case of conflict or difference of opinion, I request you to prioritise the advice of a professional photographer over my suggestion.
If you also struggle with taking art photos, then I hope that the things I learned can help you as well:
1) Correct light for art photos
The single most important factor in photos is light. Taking photos of artwork in natural light gives spectacular results.
Use daylight and avoid taking photos indoors in artificial light. Pictures of indoor light lead to a lot of unwanted shadows and dark patches.
Try to avoid poor light. Good light brings out all the details of your artwork. One thing to note, natural light doesn’t mean direct sunlight. The direct sun casts a lot of harsh shadows.
Hence pick a spot outdoors, balcony, garden, or even near your window where there is no direct sunlight. If you are near a window or door, be mindful of the shadows.
2) How to take art photos
Put the focus on artwork*
It is taking me so long to learn this one, along with the harsh lighting principle. I select the “show grid” option from camera settings and make sure that I place my artwork near the grid centre.
Do read about the “rule of the third” if you feel your art is not the centre of attention when one looks at your photos.
*Disclaimer – Please do your own research about the placement of the main subject. I am still learning about this hence I am not sharing more about the “Rule of thirds “.
Background for art photos
Initially, I would take photos on any surface (dark wood flooring, tiles), but it might mute work details.
Now, most of my photos are taken on white chart paper. You can use any light-coloured background, bed sheet, fur piece, thermocol sheet, brown paper, etc.
I have taken photos on green grass, too, but I find it overpowering for artwork. You can try and see how you like it.
Using props for art pictures
Personally, I love props. I almost overdo them. You can use home decor items, dried or fresh flowers, greenery, art supplies, etc. Absolutely anything will work.
I also believe they aren’t necessary. It is totally up to you.
4) How to Improve at art photography
Camera angles and art details
I put my work horizontally, parallel to the surface and mostly take overhead shots.
In a lot of my photos, the paper looked distorted because of the lens. Adjusting the camera angle and keep it parallel to the artwork. This will avoid any unwanted distortions.
I don’t know how to use the background to my advantage; hence, I avoid them. See what kind of photography angles you like and try different tips for your photos till you get what you want.
Depending on the kind of artwork different photography angles can capture a lot of details. This will help you show the artwork in a better way.
Take help of available resources
A perfect place to learn is from seeing photos of artwork. You can use Instagram, Google images, or Pinterest for this. There are some YouTube videos as well that are very helpful.
I have mentioned few helpful articles at the end of this blog.
Note – Search websites like Unsplash or freepik for mockups, and you will get an idea of how to use /place artwork for a photo.
3)How to Efficiently take artwork photos
Take art photos in one sitting
Initially, I wasted a lot of time setting up the area and taking only one photo at a time. Now I shoot 5-6 artworks together. For photos taken at the same time, even basic editing is similar and saves you more time.
I used to take 5-6 photos of each piece. Now I get the desired frame in 1-2 clicks. You can even switch props and photograph multiple artworks in 1 sitting. This saves a reasonable amount of time.
Shoot multiple artworks in one sitting
Click & Check your art pictures
Earlier I used to check photos after wrapping up the photo shoot. Often I didn’t get the desired shot. My only option was to repeat the redo the full setup to get the right pictures. This wastes time; hence it’s best to take a minute, go in a shaded spot or indoors and check your photos before removing the setup. This gives you the bandwidth to correct your mistakes.
Unwanted tint in art photos
I can’t count the number of times my t-shirt colour gives my photos a weird tint because my shadow fell on my artwork. Use tip numbers 1 &3 to avoid this.
Check photos for TINT (Unedited photo)
5) How to edit Artwork Photos
Some free tools are Adobe Lightroom (free trial), Snapseed, etc., for editing photos. Most of the time, the camera doesn’t capture the true colours of an artwork.
Editing tools help you to bring out details. You will get better at editing with time. There are a lot of tutorials on Youtube discussing how to use editing tools. You can learn from the video tutorials for a better understanding of the app.
I, for one, really like Snapseed. Before that, for three years, I used the Lightroom trial version.
Basic editing of a picture
Artwork picture editing tip –
I edit the photo keeping in my mind how it looks in person. I try to keep it natural and avoid changing the real colours.
Basic editing like adjusting the brightness, contrast and highlights works in most cases.
Greenery as a prop for art photos
Hurray !! We have managed to cover a lot of basics with this article. Time to write the last 100 words.
I like pretty pictures, and that’s why I wanted to improve photographs of my artwork. I feel happy about the progress I have made, and I hope to keep getting better.
These beginner-friendly tips have almost everything I learned in 2 years on taking pictures of artwork without a professional setup.
Learning about basic photography might seem irrelevant for an artist. But it matters for showcasing your artwork to the world. Good pictures do justice to beautiful art.
Wrapping up, I hope you like these pictures I have taken during 2020-2021. I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Disclaimer – Please note, these tips are based on my personal experience as an artist trying to take pictures of my artwork. Photography is not my profession. I case of conflict or difference of opinion, I request you to prioritise the advice of a professional photographer over my suggestion.
If you like the article, please do share it on your social media with some wonderful cover images I have made just for you :
