Taking it in.

I feel rather sheepish that I have not really written since my last explosion of posts. The reason being, I do have a multitude of tutorials saved from Mangarevolution.com which i wrote and would like to re-post but they are buried at the moment, in my external hard drive which is packed away. So instead I would like to briefly talk about something which is generally common sense, but important, and because of its importance, I believe it should be stated no mater how obvious it is.

Today I want to take about the importance of really taking notice of the world around you. As an artist or a writer  you are really reconstructing what you know and experience into something new to be experienced by others. It may be a situation, a feeling, a sunset, anything really. Even when we create from imagination, our imagination is using our past experiences to help construct the new imagined thing.


Once we acknowledge and understand that nothing we create in our mind is made in avoid. the importance of exposing ourselves to life and experience becomes obvious. for artists this may be as simple as going to the library and familiarizing yourself with plant life, or picking flowers and taking extra notice of their characteristics. but it can also include savouring of moments and places so that the experience you recall can be a richer source of inspiration.

by savouring i mean paying attention to all the little details, the way the wood on a floor is marked by scuffs, or the way the light falls between leaves. not only do you enjoy moments more by experiencing every detail. but when it comes to drawing.. or writing about a moment, I often find remembering these little details helps me create a fuller and richer imaginary world in my minds eye. Far more so than just trying to imagine something based on popular culture or just knowledge, experienced based observations are often far more personal.

not only does taking notice help you creatively but it helps you enjoy life, experiencing it to the fullest.

really what I'm trying to say is that you should keep your eyes wide open. no matter where you are take in your surroundings because there is no better teacher than life.