Embrace the Stress

© Jason Jalbuena

If you asked what I've been up to since my last post, I hope you're sitting down...and maybe have the day off. But that kind of conversation has its appropriate place.

I'm here to recognize a positive constant - Art. I've been blessed to be able to practice art - first as an actor and now as an artist - and do it for a living. The medium has changed but the experience remains the same - it's forever challenging yet extremely rewarding. The stress has been insurmountable at times, but that's a sign of growth. If you stop stressing, you stop learning - thus you're doomed.

If you find any inspiration behind this, great! Embrace the stress. You'll be surprised on what gets reciprocated.

- JJ

Chuck Norris doesn't do pushups. He pushes the earth down.

It's been a while since I drew characters. It's also been a while since I saw a Chuck Norris movie. I recently saw "Sidekicks" (loved that movie when I was a kid). So I decided to draw Norris in caricature form.

- JJ

Seeking my Identity

My own experience is that everybody is born with a certain talent, and unless he lives that talent to its fullest, something in him will remain missing. He will go on feeling that somehow something is not there that should be.

~Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

I've gone pretty far in most of my adult life saying that I'm an Artist, but I never really took the opportunity to link that label to who I am as a person. For a while I called myself an Artist because it's more so what I do than who I am. I'm an Artist because I went to school for Visual Arts, I acted (in the past) and I draw. It's what I "do". To be clear this doesn't have anything to do with my passion for it. The passion is alive and well. My point is that it's time to express it more, allow it to become me.

I came to this conclusion because I'm noticing that though I've continually acquired the skill set to exercise Art, I've never taken the time to establish an identity within my work. I see the works of people I admire, and they all speak a design language that's specific only to them. They've successfully created an identity where when we see an artwork of theirs, you immediately say "That's him/her".

I think the problem with me is that I'm never satisfied with what I currently know as far as skill. I want to continue learning, leaving me with little chance to declare an identity beyond that of "student". It's time to take what I know and apply it toward a style that not only identifies me as a unique artist, but a professional one. Granted as Artists we spend a lifetime continually learning as a means to improve beyond what we know. I think it's also imperative to establish yourself in the professional world. 

I've spent a great amount of time (and money) learning and building the necessary skills and knowledge to become an professional artist. I believe this is the part where I declare myself as one, and begin formulating a style that expresses my artistic identity. It's time to become who I am - a Professional Artist.

- JJ

Gestures!

I set out a long term goal for myself to really take figure drawing by the horns and hone it. In the past and at work I've been granted opportunities to draw characters, and it's brought me to a more comfortable point than ever. However, there's still a little sense of anxiety felt whenever I approach figure drawing. To be honest I hate that feeling - anxiety - because it instills doubts in my head. It's time for a confidence booster. It's time to draw.

I elaborated on "small victories" in my last post, and above is my first attempt at a small victory in figure drawing - iterating gestures. This to me is a crucial first step, for it's training my eye to observe the human figure and its complexities. It's also allowing my drawing hand to loosen up and really capture the dynamics of the figure along with the juxtaposition of balance/imbalance. It'll be interesting to see my progress on nailing those key identifiers within the major masses of the figure (head, ribcage, pelvis, etc.). 

Beyond that I felt this is a good test of will and self-discipline. I no longer have the rigors of grad school to keep me on my toes on getting better. It's truly up to me now to take myself to the next level. Here's to discipline and achieving the first small victory!

- JJ

Small Victories - Welcome!

"Small victories over time add up to large improvements." - Matt Kohr

I believe my mind is at full capacity, so I need to find a place to put all my art related thoughts somewhere. "Welcome to the desert of the real", as Morpheus would say. Simply put, welcome to my Offical Art Blog.

For the few who are familiar and follow my last blog http://jasonjalbuenaart.blogspot.com/, I thank you for the support. That blog was created to document my time at AAU, and now that I've graduated (woo hoo!) I felt it was time to close that chapter and begin a new one. Now I'm a working professional and I've learned so much to the point where I need to write it all down and draw it all out. So here goes nothing.

My 1st major takeaway from working as a professional is that Art is a mind game. This industry is full of talented people with the same self-doubt and fearful mindset. It's crazy no matter how skillful one can be, it will never measure up to their expectations. I believe that is where the breaking point is for many artists - the inability to channel their expectations toward a more realistic path - thus convincing themselves that "it's not meant to be". It's a shame to know that so much talent and passion is lost and left undiscovered because of that conclusion.

I know this because I frequented my breaking point many times in my short career, wondering if I have what it takes to turn it into a long prosperous career. It's a dark place to be in, and I made a pact for myself to not go there again. Success as an artist is about the small victories over time. Since there are absolutely no shortcuts to getting better as an Artist, it's imperative that I set short-term realistic goals for myself - small victories. So to establish "drawing a kick-ass sci-fi soldier" as a "goal" is a misnomer. Instead it should be viewed as a milestone, and goals should be specific and formulated to reach it. As a result goals with that milestone in mind should be more like this:

1. Learn to draw the human figure

2. Learn to pose the figure dynamically

3. Learn to clothe the figure

4. Armor studies

5. Weapon studies

Small victories, and before you know it you have the skill set to reach that "kick-ass sci fi soldier" milestone.

Upon carrying out this work practice, it's important to exercise patience. Like I said, there are no shortcuts so it's best to find satisfactory in the small victories.

Cheers!

JJ