Beginning and learning.

Email from a friend of Apeksha asked....

- She said she is very good at copying things and improvising. She faces it hard to imagine something from scratch and give it a shape. Can this be learnt? If yes, how? If no, how can it be bypassed to still produce meaningful work and add value to customers? 

- How to identify customers and build network? Is it very necessary to get a formal apprenticeship experience on her resume? It is a chicken and egg problem - she needs some project to start building a portfolio and she needs a portfolio to get good projects. 

- She understands the potential of digitalization and animation of art work would be a good chunk of customer requirements. She wants to pursue a masters degree which has the perfect blend of technology and fine arts curriculum. She is at a loss on this account, as she doesn't know anyone who has done something similar. 
- What are the best learning resources till the time she joins an institute? Learning by doing is one. She needs to find people who would give her some projects to experiment with. But more than that, I feel she will need to benchmark herself, draw inspiration and learn from the best existing practises. 

Hello Friend of Apeksha,

Thank you so much for the email :)

I’ll reply to your queries in points, as you’ve asked them like that, so it’s easy to reference.

1) There is a fine line between copying and inspiration. I think this is where the line ‘Good artists steal, great artists copy (Pablo Picasso)’ comes in handy, but it’s always the responsibility of an artist to take inspiration one step further or use it in a different sort of way and make it unique. (I can go on about this topic for a while, on copyright infringement, etc., but I think everyone knows when they are stealing and when it’s inspiration, so I’ll refrain.) I like to think of imagining as a skill. It gets better over time, and after a while, it’s not much of an effort to imagine new scenes or things to draw. I think a good exercise to try is to just take a paper without really a reference at hand and start drawing. It may be hard at first, but slowly and steadily, imagining new ideas and things to draw will come more easily. This may take a few days, or weeks, or maybe even a month, but trust me, you’ll notice your imagination be out and about over time.

2) You’re right. This is a rather questionable debate, and to be honest, there is no right answer. I usually suggest people try getting an internship just to know what the industry is like and if they even like working in the field. A lot of times, it seems like drawing is one’s biggest love, but the minute that there’s a brief at hand, it becomes a chore. An internship will settle that matter and will basically make you understand a lot about yourself, your strengths, and weaknesses, and also teach you a lot about clients, projects, and briefs, without having to worry about actually getting them. Having said that, I started in the deep end, without knowing a lot of people in the field (though I did have a folio with working projects), and of course, it was hard work and a lot of persistence, but I knew my strength was in delivering on time, and my knowledge in print was substantial. I think this is another thing to consider. If you’re absolutely new to the field, you would need to know a bit about how to deliver print-ready files, and though that’s something you can even learn online, it’s a little easier when you have other knowledgeable people at hand.

3) I think it all depends on you, really. Fine arts is different from animation, is different from illustration, is different from communication design. Though they have a thread running through them of being in the same area, deliveries for clients from each field are very different. I’m purely an illustrator but sometimes take up illustrative design work. I would definitely suggest looking into each of these, reading up and seeing which one pulls your heartstring and going from there.

4) There are thousands of learning resources online. I think going step by step rather than an overall learning makes more sense. For instance, learning ONE tool on Photoshop is easier to master than just generally ‘learning Photoshop’. That way you can target what you are learning and move slowly from there. This is how I try and learn new subjects. If you know any acquaintances who need work done, that’s a great place to start. Or just doing some personal projects, like a Diwali card for the family or your sister’s wedding, etc., is a lot of fun without a lot of restrictions that a client may have.

I hope this helps! All the best and much love,

Alicia

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A copying conundrum

Suru C. asked: 

…initially were you sharing your work openly in social media and among friends ? I also aspire to become an illustrator some day but i get scared when lot of my friends copy my style. I am not into any design school yet but just doodling what comes to my mind. Being scared of copycats also hinders me from sharing my work & eventually leads to discouragement to draw. Sharing on social media is an encouragement when people like my work but negative when i see exact replicas. I think i have no style or its too easy to be copied. Can you please give me some tips (if u get some time from ur busy busy schedule) on how to handle this & overcome this fear to continue my doodles ? Thank you so much. You are inspiring!

Thank you so much Suru:) 

Starting out is fearful in so many ways, no matter what you’re doing but it’s absolutely normal when you’re doing something new and that’s always a good thing, even if things don’t work out. This is no matter what you’re doing really- whether it’s trying a new recipe or going skydiving.

The first time I was aware that I had a copy of my illustration in production, I was just starting out in my career. I was more worried than annoyed and realised that there was no way to really get around the situation. Since then, I’ve had people and companies that made my drawings into copy products, copy prints and a whole bunch. Please note, this is very different from fan art, which is adorable 🙂

Now the first thing I got told is to run after the company and/or the person but almost always, it’s not worth the effort. Firstly, lawyers cost a bit too much and my time is better spent creating more than chasing down old work. Having said that, there are times I have mailed a few companies and people when I’ve gotten too many notices from other people telling me that it’s out of hand. Sometimes (and this happened recently) the copy wasn’t a copy at all and our styles were just similar and sometimes the company just removes the product or ignores you. 

Now, Suru, I hate that it is the case, but it’s kind of part of being in the field at this point. There is always a chance that there will be some copies of your work and that will only push you to do more or to better your art. I realise that almost all copies will never be as good as the original and if they are better, then it’s sad that the artist with that kind of skill does a copy instead of an original.

We’re in a world where sharing is part of our lives. It’s enriching and can also be frustrating. Instead of thinking of it where the more you do, the more chance there is for you to get copied, think of it in the way that the more you do, the more people get to appreciate. And the better you get. And the happier you’ll be. 

Don’t worry; and at the end of the day, you can also go by the old saying that Imitation is the best form of flattery. It takes effort to copy so someone out there thought you were good enough to copy. That’s a plus! 

Keep drawing and be guided by your love (of drawing), not your fear (of being imitated).

But if it truly truly bothers you, then you never have to stop drawing. You can always just draw and don’t need to put it up online, like the good ol’ days. 

Love, Alicia

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