Art vs Artist 2021 (Patreon)

Magical Patrons.

There's an annual tradition over on Instagram where artists post a portrait of themselves surrounded by a grid of their most popular or favourite artworks. It's a lovely way to reflect back on a year of work and enjoy a glimpse of other artists' styles. 

When I first encountered the trend, I oogled all those beautiful posts that had tidy, congruent artworks in consistent styles and colour palettes. Often, all the pieces featured were in the same colour scheme or medium, and the artists in the centre were even wearing the same colours as their artworks. The grids were perfectly aligned and it all looked RIGHT together. I would struggle to make a visually pleasing grid, to clear my chaos for something more harmonious. I always ended up feeling like I'd left out something crucial, or like I'd grouped together a random set of pieces not because the reflected me, but because they looked like they "matched".

Now I still participate in this delightful trend, but I've busted out of anything resembling a grid, and I've let me artwork (and my portraits) reflect something that feels far less tidy, and MUCH more authentic. I still gaze in admiration at the artists who's styles and feeds scroll beautifully and congruently by. But I enjoy them much more now that I don't try to make my sprawling, beautiful mess fit into a grid that was never designed for me.

A reminder that most things we run into are just an idea. Someone else's idea that may or may not be a fit for you. Don't be afraid to disregard someone else's grid my loves. 

Be well.

B