Just keep it simple

As I mentioned in my last post, which *gasp* was only a week ago! (That's fairly amazing in itself!), I have really been delving into 'art think' mode lately. I am calling myself an illustrator or freelance illustrator, or artist, or even art director when people ask what it is I do all day and never really leave my apartment, so shouldn't I start acting the part? I joke. I do work hard at creating my artwork, but the vast majority of people have no idea I even exist let alone my artwork or even this little blog here. So how to remedy that? I guess make a splash. How to do that? Well, be excellent at what I do is a good start.Obviously I'm not there and even if I thought I was there is always room for improvement. I recall reading about some of the great artists from days past and how they almost always had a low self-esteem regarding their work. Sure, some had a brave face, a bit of bravado, etc., but most when pushed would say they weren't all that good and needed to just quit or get better. As a whole I think artists are a bit like adolescents in that regard. They never really seem to have a firm grasp on self-image nor do they seem to be able to fully appreciate what they create because as soon as it's labeled finished it's crap in their eyes. They can always and always want to do better. Ok, so where is all this coming from? Well, I never really got into the whole 'art scene' at university. I was never really willing to be quite that pretentious as to make use of mysterious terms that only a select few understood. I was never really into the whole smoking jacket approach to critiques or criticisms of other artist's works. I always preferred to just look over a piece and try to learn from it. Give advice or feedback if asked, and be polite about it, and then move on. I never really got the need to juice up my ego at the expense of others, but I have certainly felt the effects of it. So when I hear terms tossed around as if they are some sort of private club speak, it baffles me. Something like "Rule of Thirds", for instance. It just means to create a solid composition that portrays a compelling, and visually appealing image. Yes, you can make use of the separation lines to adjust the image for maximum impact, but you also run the risk of a canned image that looks very much like many others out there. You can 'term' yourself into a cookie cutter mess if you're not careful. Now, I'm not saying that an art vocabulary is useless, I'm just saying keep it simple. Why not talk about how the image reads, how the subject is framed by the borders of the image, how the light, tones, values, etc. all interact to tell a story? (Yeah, I know those are more art terms.) Maybe I'm not 'getting' it, but for my money, keep it simple. Say what it is, and leave the decoding ring at home.