Languages, they aren’t just words but about the ability to communicate through various ways. Body language, images…. Art.

Languages, they aren’t just words but about the ability to communicate through various ways. Body language, images…. Art.

My mother told me the other day that I was predisposed to be an artist.  The look on her face when I told her that I didn’t learn how to draw until I was in college, worth it.  Why do I bring this up?  When I have people approach me about taking a class from me, I always ask what is their art background.  From my own life experience, I know that if you don’t know the basic language of art; you can get lost and frustrated.  That doesn't mean you can’t learn it; I did.  I look at what I used to do and what I do now, and I can recognize the point I actually learned to communicate the basics in art.  The foundations are simple; weight, balance, direction of light, vanishing points, value of darks and lights, all of these things can be taught and learned.

Someone told me these things were boring but, think of the doors that they can open.  A circle becomes a sphere, two lines become a column, a square becomes a cube.  One person is now standing in front of another and suddenly the road recedes into the distance.  Don’t ever pish posh the basics, it is the beginning of opening new worlds of communication.

Life is like that; when we are young, we want to fly before we can walk.  I won’t say it can’t be done, if you have the right parents and access to a plane, plus you are born a genius.  Most of us need to go through the basics first.  Roll over, crawl, stagger, walk, run…… there are many stages to getting there.   When it comes to doing art, take the time to learn the basics.  I’m sure my mother learned them somewhere when she was young.  She may have grasped them so quickly; she doesn’t remember learning them.  Not all of us do that, and that is alright.  Those of us that must work harder to get what we want, tend to stick with it longer.  The word is tenacity, it’s a good word.

Ultimately, if you get frustrated; go back to the beginning.  That is what Vizzini said to Inigo, “Go back to the beginning.”  Find your footing and take your first steps again, each time you start over; you are more steady on your feet.