Ever since graduating art school, I didn't really have a lot of activity in the traditional art world. I learned about the blockchain shortly right after that and that's where all my activity went. In the traditional art world, it is important to be able to attend exhibits and physically see the artworks to be able to learn and also to meet likeminded people.

Nowadays, we usually just look on the internet for network, look at paintings, read and learn stuff. The exhibits around the world are more accessible than ever because of social media and other websites that we can access.

Since I live in a place where attending physical events are not convenient for me, I just access the internet for knowledge.

Content on the internet

I've been having a hard time searching for art knowledge online because I don't know where to look in the first place. I would love to see some art criticism discussions, art theories by peers, art talks by artists... but I only found a few sources of knowledge and I have to also tweak my algorithm to find those.

If you search art on social media, you will mostly see content creators first. They are good for basic level of knowledge but since they are mostly focusing on making content, you would not see the things that have actual discussions. Or if you do, there is a chance you'll fall into the doomscrolling trap because of how social media works now.

While scrolling on IG and tweaking my algorithm to show more of the fine art world, I found a post recommending this book. Luckily, I found it online and they only had the last stock lol. I ordered it right away.

I was so excited to get this book mainly because it was written by the art critic Martin Gayford who had interactions, conversations, and good relationships with artists that we know of today. He's also someone who would have a lot of knowledge when it comes to art and how they're appreciated.

Looking at the content, they are so exciting. You can see that this is really the book that I would want to read.

When I read the first parts, it was very refreshing to me. Since he has interviewed a lot of artists, reading what they said and felt while painting made me feel less alone.

Whenever I feel something negative about art-related things, airing them out feels like I am complaining. That is because most of my environment online tend to be on the content creators and digital artists side... which tbh a lot of them will say criticisms aren't allowed and they take offense on that.

Combine that with the ever fast-paced environment online, it just puts so much pressure on artists and that's not good for us since we draw mostly from emotions to be able to paint.

A quote from the book:

"Painting is a physical activity as well as a mental and (perhaps) a spiritual one."

One of the things they talked about in the book is how a painting comes to existence. Some are very much into planning and some are spontaneous. Much like me.

Some artists couldn't even finish their painting. A great example that most of you will know is Leonardo da Vinci.

"When a canvas doesn't satisfy me, I feel physically unwell, as if I were sick, as if my heart were working badly, as if I couldn't breathe any more, as if I were suffocating."

-Joan Miro

I resonate with this A LOT. I've always told myself I'm really not afraid of failing when I'm painting. I don't mind much if people won't like it. What I'm afraid of truly is that I will not like it.
It kinda hurts when I don't like the result of a painting and I see the before photos and I liked it better... that feeling of regret is something I feel because any brushstroke and paint mixing cannot be done twice haha.

"To paint well, hand, eye, and heart are all required. Two will not do."

-Chinese proverb, often quoted by David Hockney

In today's artists' content on the internet, you will often hear the words "JUST DO IT" or "YOU HAVE TO PAINT EVERYDAY" and for me, that's very tiring. Those advises I believe were catered more for the algorithm because one day of absence in social media penalizes you a lot.

This is often why I have doubts about myself because why can't I do the same thing that they can do?

But when I read this book, I've read about full-time artists, emerging or established, that they take breaks often. They don't paint when they're not in the mood. They often stay late at night to paint. They have hiatus sometimes for years. JUST LIKE ME.

This is why reading all the artists' thoughts and their conversations are so refreshing and exactly that I needed to read. These conversations are usually experienced when you're there physically in exhibits and art talks, but since I don't have that privilege at the moment, this will do.

Reading this has also made me more confident in painting and also the audience in the art world in general that they are aware that artists are human beings and not brands that make products. They are very forgiving when it comes to absences and interested in what you have to say and your experiences as a person.

I want to be surrounded by art critics, art students, art historians, professors, collectors and all that but for the mean time, this will do.

It's amazing how one book is literally changing my painting views and life as an artist for the better. I'm still in the early chapters of the book but I already have learned a LOT. Each phrase has substance and well-thought out.

You can see how THICCC this book is and it has a lot of pictures inside as well. I'm excited for what's next to read. :D