No Will Hunting Sh*t!

On a recent podcast (Randomadness, refer to the link to the right) Tim and I were talking about how difficult it is to teach yourself how to draw at our age. We soon went from talking about that to ragging on our mutual friend who draws for fun. He is GOOD. Hell, he's excellent at drawing. That night was the first time I'd ever seen any of his work and I've known him for over a year. I knew that he sketched sometimes but I had no idea how talented he was. I was wowed.

The thing is, he doesn't draw much anymore. Last year I was looking for someone to draw a logo for my nerd group and I was kind of hoping he would offer but he said he wasn't feeling it much lately. That was last year. He still isn't feeling it. Others have also approached him about drawing a few things for websites and whatnot. He's hesitant.

I hope it isn't modesty that's keeping him away from the pad and pencil. The guy has mad skills. I kind of railed on him about it on that podcast too. Granted, I had a couple of mixed drinks in me but I think I yelled something along the lines of "TAKE THAT GOOD WILL HUNTING SH*T AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR A@$!"
Obviously, I meant that if you can draw well, you should. And often.

Now of all people I understand what it's like to be in a creative slump. I often bitch and moan about my writing and what a sadistic brat my muse is. I know how it feels to be busy and then when you finally have a minute, you sit down and... nothing. Not one good idea.
Another friend of mine complained to me about not getting a chance to write anymore because work keeps him busy. True, but he does have days off. See, you have to make time for your creative outlets. And when you do get a great idea for a sketch or a story, jot it down, wherever you are, in detail. The more detail the better you'll be able to recall that great idea later.

Having trouble coming up with ideas? Look to someone else's work. Now obviously I don't mean go copy someone else's idea. But I know that when I'm having a dry spell, sometimes reading a book from the same genre helps me get ideas. "Wow, that guy has serious OCD. Wait, what if I made that one character have an eating disorder? That would make it more interesting!" Maybe watching a movie or jogging or something helps you get those ideas flowing. Whatever it is that works for you, find it and latch on to it.

But like I said, art is one of those things that you just have to do. If you are talented in that area, go for it. Don't dawdle. Don't let modesty, apprehension or just plain fear keep you from putting your own original idea on paper. Creating commendable artwork is something that not anyone can do. And for those that have seen my deviantART account, that is quite apparent. We can't all be Picassos and Rembrandts.
So those of us that are, don't put it aside for other, more practical things. Will Hunting could have solved the national debt problem in two minutes but that bum ran off after a girl! 
Draw as much as you can while you can because you never know, one day a simple doodle could change the way someone sees the world. You could influence a president's way of thinking. You could bring about world peace!
Maybe not but hey, don't give up.

So, to my friend who I was kind of a jerk to: sorry but I just want to see you live the dream. You are talented enough to really do something with your art. I would be thrilled to see something of yours in a magazine or on a billboard. Hell, even a calendar would be pretty cool. So whatever you have to do to get those creative juices flowing again, do it and do it now!
Forget Will Hunting. He was an idiot. But if you take time from your busy schedule to do what you love, you can have your cake and eat it to. How do you like them apples?