Art Positivity - Blog Posts

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Sketch Book Art Dump!! 🎨🖊

I've been wanting to post some of the stuff I've done in my personal sketchbook for quite some time now but suffered from the same old ✨️"artist's perfectionism"✨️ and never thought any of them were good enough to post. So here I am, doing this now to remind myself that it doesn't matter if the drawing looks a mess and if people don't like it as much as I do, if I am proud enough that I want to showcase it then I should just do it, even if I end up the only one who thinks it looks cool 😌🙏💜

All of these were done with ballpoint pens and pastel highlighters that I take with me everywhere lolol

Characters are mostly from the DnD Campaign (Ezra the Bard, Garren the Paladin, Lia the Wizard) with a sneaky little glimpse of Junior (derpy dog boi) from the comic I'm creating 🤭

In case anyone needs to hear this today:

Drawing fanart DOESN’T make you any less of an artist.

Writing fanfiction DOESN’T make you any less of a writer.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Your work is important.

@ all my fellow fic writers, I hope 2019 blesses you with inspiration, motivation and time to write, and your inboxes and messages are flooded with lovely comments and feedback/reviews

To all the Writers Suffering from Depression

It’s okay. Your desire to write will return. Your desire to do other things you love will come back, too. You’re not weak. You’re just having a hard time right now. Try not to add self-judgment on top of everything else. Depression is hard enough without blaming yourself for it.

We (in the US specifically) live in a productivity-obsessed, emotion-phobic culture which blames individuals for “failing” when they are anything but hyper-productive and relentlessly optimistic. This cultural narrative so pervasive that it’s difficult to see the high standards we set for ourselves for what they really are: Complete and total bullshit.

Despite the rampant cultural garbage that teaches us to interpret emotional ups and downs as an aberration, MANY writers and artists (and people in general!) struggle with depression and other mood “disorders.” It is not uncommon for us, among other things, to go through periods of hyperactivity followed by depressive episodes in which we get very little accomplished. I am not saying you shouldn’t try to alleviate your depression or work to find ways to minimize your suffering in the short or long term. I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with you, and you aren’t alone.

I’m going to say that again:

If you’re having a hard time writing or enjoying writing right now because you’re depressed, you aren’t alone.

I wish I had some kind of magical answer. I don’t. But I do know that accepting your depression and loving yourself anyway beats the hell out of berating yourself for feeling like this. So, with that in mind, this might be all I have to offer:

I think you’re doing a great job. I’m sorry you feel like shit. I’m on your side whether you’re writing or not; whether you feel good or not; whether you’re being “productive” or not; whether you wanted to get out of bed this morning or not. You’re still a writer to me, even if you’re not writing right now. You don’t have to prove yourself to me or anyone else. I love you, and I hope you feel better soon.