Choosing your art and knowing which medium is right for you

Many artists seem to be born with the knowledge of how they will create, what tools they will use, and every image or sculpture they will produce. While this may be true for some artists, not everyone is born with this knowledge and no one goes through life without being influenced in one direction or another. Many artists are first encouraged by their family, they may be given a camera or a box of finger paints. This influence continues in schools where all students are encouraged to use chalk, pencils, markers, and paint to create something using their imagination or even within the structural confines of a class project.

This is the basis of artistic discovery. Along with whatever the artist is born with, be it a voice or a drive towards one art form or another, it is their early childhood influences and experiences in combination with that special something that brings the artist to the tools of his art. Again, not everyone is born with this kind of artistic drive or purpose and some may develop it throughout their lives, perhaps even in their later years. How do these people find their artistic purpose? Try and failure.

Start with what interests you the most. If you’ve always wanted to work with your hands to create, then give clay a try. If you always wanted to break and chip stone to find the hidden form within, then you will be a sculptor. The thing to remember is to start small, start cheap, and you will find yourself much happier.

Art stores weren’t put on earth to prey on the eager minds of new artists, but it might almost seem that way. People who are new to creating often have such taste that they want to buy as much as they can within their chosen art form. This mentality is completely discouraged. Start small, if you want to draw, you still don’t need an expensive sketchbook or $300.00 pencils. That can wait until later. A good idea for the artist just starting out is to create 10 pieces of art before you buy anything. 10 works of art without buying a single material, whether it’s stone or acrylic paints, may sound extreme, but it’s completely doable and will give you a good measure of your passion for the art form.

If you want to be a sculpture, then before you buy a single block of marble, you should start with potato or wood. This may sound strange, however, carving a shape out of a potato or a bar of soap will not only give you some carving training later on, it will also save you a lot of money. This is especially true if you find that you don’t like the job later on. Many new artists will go straight to the art store, buy lots of supplies, and then store them when they find that their enthusiasm has waned. Start small, start cheap, but try; create and follow that passion.