66 Finding Your Voice — Top 10 Tips for Self-Discovery

Gladys Roldan-de-Moras: 0:00

I guess people say, Well, she found a niche. No, I think the niche found me because I painted what I loved. And that is what I tell my friends and students find something that you really love, and you will find your voice. If

Oliver Sin: 0:15

you really, really want something. Then you have to go and chase for your artistic dream. Welcome

Laura Arango Baier: 0:22

to the BoldBrush show, where we believe that fortune favors the bold brush. My name is Laura Arango Baier, and I'm your host. But those of you who are new to the podcast, we are a podcast that covers art marketing techniques, and all sorts of business tips specifically to help artists learn to better sell their work. We interview artists at all stages of their careers as well as others who are in careers tied to the art world in order to hear their advice and insights. For today's episode, we compiled some of the best tips we've had so far when it comes to finding your artistic voice. Of course, not every tip will work for everyone. But it's good to know what other successful artists have done. So you can try it out for yourself and see what works for you. All of the artists mentioned in the episode are linked in the show notes as well as their respective episodes. So you may go listen to them if you'd like. We hope that these tips will inspire and motivate you all to boldly seek out your artistic voice in this coming new year. To start off, here's Christian figure love telling us about the struggle of rediscovering your voice after attending an art school that teaches only technique,

Christian Fagerlund: 1:22

often it feels like that, during that during that phase of learning kind of the fundamentals, it's you kind of forget about your own voice, you know, like you're kind of pushed up to the, to the side. And, you know, part of the advanced classes is about trying to kind of coax that out of the person. And not only like what their original voice was, but like, how they've changed and who they are now, you know, like what are what are you really passionate about? Like, what do you want to paint? What do you want to save with your pain? What feeling do you want to create with your work. And that's, that's, for me, that's kind of always changing. And some always pushing students to not get in a rut. You know, like, if you're not, if you're not into what you're doing. Ignore the feedback, the the positive feedback that you've gotten in the past of that work, and just just move into something new challenge yourself with something new that Trisha

Laura Arango Baier: 2:20

watt would tells us about her amazing book that helps artists at all stages to reconnect with their inner authentic self. By using mindfulness and drawing exercises, it is

Patricia Watwood: 2:29

called the path of drawing lessons and everyday creativity and mindfulness. And it's an art instructional book focusing on drawing and realistic drawing. But it's not so much a book about how to draw as a book about why to draw, and how artists are just beginners, or just, it's it's not narrowly focused for people who really are seeking up full time professional training, it's more broad, and it's target. With more general, simple lessons with more still life or things that are readily available. Like you don't need to go to a figure studio or have access to a long pose for anything that's in that book. But it's how we use drawing as creative people to find our personal voice, and frankly, to just steal our minds so that we can even hear our purse creative voice. I think that there's a lot of books on creativity. One of the well known ones is the artists way by Julia Cameron, she talks about common obstacles to creativity, like you know, if you'd have a writer's block or a creative block, but her method is all about writing, and using like morning pages. And my insight was that for visual artists, that the written word is not the natural form, that we as artists actually just like to lose ourselves in moving our pencil around on the paper. And that it's in that practice, you know, focusing your mind on the pencil, the pencil on the paper, getting engrossed in that activity. It pulls us into this really liberating supportive space and a space of quiet, a space of calm. That then if you are going to then kind of pursue a creative life, that's the space where creative ideas, a feeling about what you're personally drawn to. That's the space where those kinds of ideas can emerge. So I wanted to write a book that shows how to build a creative habit, how to just make creativity, even if it's just 30 minutes a day. is a regular part of your life, not just once, but on an ongoing way. And the same way you might have a practice of yoga, or meditation. But for so we're hearing about, like how great meditation is right? It can really cure anxiety, it's really important to help you focus, especially in this hyper technological age, like nobody can focus. So meditation has all these benefits can really help be significant and alleviating depression. But for a lot of people, the idea of sitting still for 20 minutes on a cushion, sounds like torture. But if you give that same person, a pencil, you know, and like some paper or an activity in a way to use your hands, it's really then you can really access that those same benefits. So that's I went through kind of a long journey of him my own life of how I got to that. But in writing this book, that's what I wanted to share was how we use creativity in an ongoing way drawing for me, you know, just draw, I was always drawing for me, it's like, but, but whether it for other for other people, just a regular engagement with creativity is a really key aspect to developing wellness, and giving you access to skills of like visual literacy, spatial recognition, like creative visualization, skills that really can enrich our lives, help us problem, problem solve, and all sorts of areas of our life, even maybe your mechanic, if you're a school teacher, right, but those creative visualization, creative time they enrich your thinking, and your problem solving your experiences. And all of those areas, not just on Ryan

Laura Arango Baier: 6:56

s Brown tells us his trick to reconnecting with your why. And therefore with the key to unlocking your artistic voice.

Ryan S. Brown: 7:03

The very first day at the parks Academy, Daniel Griggs is very specific. He's he says, you know, you're here to learn skills, and we can help you, you know, correct your drawings, whatever. But the moment you draw something inaccurately, or you drop a shoulder when we tell you to change it, and you're like, Well, I like it this way better your education here has done. And so very clear that like, aesthetic decisions aren't part of this art making isn't part of this. And I see his point. But I think what that concept is missing, again, we talked a little bit about this earlier, is that the thing that's missing is the focus on what comes next, your focus should always be and the motivation should always be, I want to be a great artist, and I want to I want to do the things that I want to do if you can, and maybe maybe when you're young, you don't know exactly what that is, right? I certainly didn't. So, how do you find out what it is that you want to do? How do you find out aesthetically what you gravitate towards? Well, you, you become a brilliant art historian, you you pour night and day over great paintings. And you you find motivation, so easy. Now, it's social media. So I mean, you put together folders of paintings that you love, you should be, you should be saving a minimum of 30 to 150 paintings a day, just looking on the internet. And then and then you start to figure out what it is that you continuously love to look at. And that starts to give you inspiration for what it is that you might want to paint yourself. Not necessarily saying I want to recreate the 19th century or whatever, but there's something about this painting that I love, there's something about, you know, in the 19th century painting, you know, a family being evicted and all the town out on the street, looking and judging and the constable leading them away from the house and the sadness of the moment. And, you know, there's plenty of narratives today that that are online with that. I mean, how many people lost their homes during COVID? I mean, it's, there's, there's, it's the same tragedy. And yet we could define it in our own terms. And so, yeah, I mean, there's, there's, there's innumerable ways to get motivated and, and, and get inspired to overcome the lack of ideas. But if you lose focus on that being the goal, painting your own ideas, then you can just adopt the study as your art which a lot you know, I would say the majority of students do. And then you know, for a decade after graduation, you're still doing still shadowbox still lives and single head portraits because you can't leave the method And you you, you haven't thought beyond the subject matter. So yeah, I think that's tragic. Tragic. I think the greatest tragedy, the academies, the modern academies, is the is the lack of individuality after graduation. I mean, the greatest tragedy in art is that you would lose your individuality. Right? So yeah, I mean, I don't know the answer to that. I think that's a two parter is one a systemic that system itself could change the conversation, The Daily Conversation, and talk more about art and what comes next. And, you know, focus the student attention on on why they're developing skills, what you know, the post application of those skills, but then the greater responsibility is individual. I think people that are going to the schools to have to be really disciplined, and, you know, go be going home and skipping class and whatever, to work on their own stuff.

Laura Arango Baier: 10:56

Mark Thompson tells us about how your voice is always there. It's only a matter of following your inspiration. And inevitably, it will become obvious in hindsight, and eventually, it will become your brand. Well,

Mark Thompson: 11:08

don't you think branding is related to the idea of a voice, you know, as your career develops and matures? I mean, that's one of the reasons why it's going to be interesting to be a mentor. You know, one of the questions that inevitably comes up a lot is, you know, how do I find my voice as an artist, ignoring the fact that it's been there all along, and you can't help your voice coming out, the only thing that happens is you cover it over with things that you feel like you ought to be doing, I guess, I've always been a bit bloody mind. But really, if I'm completely honest about it, about one, following it through continuing to work in sort of no matter what, and again, decoupling it from conventional success, you know, you achieve a different kind of success. You know, if I wanted to kind of splash about in the pool of money that's in the art world, I'd be making a different kind of work. And that that would be a different kind of life. But it's not to say that, you know, pays calls tomorrow, I won't be saying, Yeah, lovely. You know, it's trying to think of a good way to describe it. I think, like I said, at the beginning, this now seems like what life is for, you know, I make your work. And the work is landscape based work. You know, I'm always a little hesitant to say, these are just landscape paintings, because, you know, there will be inevitably about a whole lot of other things that require landscape to be the vehicle. But these are places that we lose a fundamental to experience, you know, how we experience the world, you know, we look at the world and decode it. So where are we? We're within landscape. So it's a question of what does that then mirror back at us, which makes it fundamentally unflashy? I think, also, it's a question of, how do you want to be placed in time? You know, do you want your work to the mean, we can never govern this. But you know, do you want your work to be able to step forward in time with you beyond your years? Or is I think it's why I'm always not suspicious as the wrong word, but reluctant to engage in work that is overtly political, because it's about now, but it's very anchored in time. And you end up becoming overly engaged in identity politics, you know, which is almost like a kind of branding in, in and of itself. I think, you know, branding is a very interesting word in terms of art, because it's an unspoken Portrait of an ongoing body of work, but it has to alter, because your work is inevitably and no matter how hard you you hold on to it, it's inevitably going to change. I've certainly seen that I resisted the changes in my work up until a few years ago. And I guess in some ways, I've had to rebrand myself without really realizing I was doing it. But I think again, if you maintain a level of integrity with your work, and you follow where it leads, it's like every painting isn't it. They all get to a point where they start breathing, and then they tell you what they want. And I think if you follow that the branding comes with it. You know, the paintings always look like yours, because they're our view, you know, like, don't put the cart before the horse,

Laura Arango Baier: 14:13

just a cow leaves. Oliveras reminds us that you must build a strong foundation with your work and to create work that you yourself are proud of. That is where your voice begins.

Jessica Oliveras: 14:23

Before jumping into into marketing. I like to say that building up a strong portfolio is very important. Sometimes we want to rush into something we might see other artists very successful or Instagram or we know clearly where we want to arrive but we're failing the basics which is make sure your technique is good. That you like the way you are your artist is going to the direction that you're getting to you you know the style you want to have I'm developed or explore more. So the majority of the time should be spent in the studio, this is the first step. And if, if for any aspiring artist, they feel like they want to go very fast, and they want to jump on the internet and Instagram and go big, very fast, I would recommend like sometimes it's best to get like a part time job for a while, make sure that you have time to develop your art and your studio, in a very protected space experiment, ruin things until you find your way. And then when you're ready to say, Okay, this works I'm proud of, of course, they always can be better, because we're always learning until the very end, perfection does not exist. So you know, I'm not saying into until it's perfect, but at least until you're convinced that it's a good piece. And then you can focus on the rest marketing yourself during a good website. And myself, I really found that very much easier to rely on the services of companies and organizations that they already established. So for example, S or BoldBrush has really helped me on that, because I had the website before, but they were it was not a platform that was meant for artists only. So with my no knowledge on technical stuff, as you could see before of me trying to join on the on the podcast. I had to you know, really like try and investigate and try my best to do this and website, but we have so many services that they are all set up for us ready to go, it's so much easier when you have these platforms, and you make use of them. So this has really helped me to at least have first of all the website was faster, so I could do my newsletter, my subscribers, everything is organized, everything is controlled, and then you can start things from from order from from things that can gives you a result the product instead of trying something really chaotic, which doesn't bring you anywhere. And then yes, as well like marketing my my art on Instagram, the way that BoldBrush gives tips and helps artists to do the video editing. And the photoshoots of the work has really really helped me with the engagement of my page. And the followers which is always very, very important to have a good present on Instagram and then convert these followers into into art enthusiasts and collectors and buyers, and even a students so in terms of like, how you project yourself on social media on the website, I would recommend always look professional. Don't post anything too personal on your professional page. People you know, don't care maybe would you cook today, but maybe they do care what's in your studio. So try to always to be respectful. Never play like the rock star and don't answer people. I mean, you know people they like your work they they love it. They spend time commenting on it, they spend time messaging you. So answer the DMS, answer them the comments be grateful, be generous. So if they ask you questions, share with them you know, I think this is very important. We in in every stage all artists we've been, you know, let's say in general is like we did not within all the information it was not maybe available to us when we're starting and now that social media is such a big thing. And we have so many platforms. It's it's good to guide people into them and say okay, maybe you can try these Why don't you try that without an economical proposals for helping each other? So yes, and then make use of your newsletter and try to engage into more private and personal conversations to people they are really engaged with what you do. So I think that really works as well. And eventually we are interested as well in our galleries and stuff. They will find you anyways if you have a good portfolio and you have a strong present on Instagram and a well designed website. The photos they look nice, would like me good quality, you know, it's just its journey. So everything will come up everything you know, will work out. But we have to work step by step and this is the advice that we give to anybody who's listening to not to try to rush into you know, becoming In this like superstar artists, but do things properly from the beginning and try to bring things slowly but steady.

Laura Arango Baier: 20:07

Daniel Gerhart reminds us that authenticity stems from truth, and truth comes from within you. That is the place where you will find your voice. You mentioned in a previous interview a quote by CS Lewis, I'm going to state it the way that I found it on Google. He's very sassy, which is really funny. But he says, even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original. Whereas if you simply try to tell the truth, without carrying two pens, how often it has been told before, you will nine times out of 10 become original without ever having noticed it. So you mentioned this quote in another interview, and what I find interesting about it is that in modern art, especially in like modern schools, and universities, they tell you to be original, which is contrary to what CS Lewis is saying. Exactly. Yeah. So I wanted to discuss the quote a little bit further with you.

Daniel Gerhartz: 21:13

Yeah, I find I find that quote, to be absolutely dead on in terms of how to be authentic with your artwork. I was, I originally went to art school in Chicago, and I studied commercial art. In commercial art, it was all about flash and style and mimicking this style or that style. How do you how do you grab someone's attention? How do you make it as commercial as possible? Well, when I was in Thankfully, it was only in that for about a year and a half. And it but it still took me several years to kind of beat that thinking out of my system. But so I was, when I embarked on my fine art career, I had to kind of disengage from that, thinking that I had to have a style that I had to have, you know, what style in quotes, do I want to paint. So you know, you just have to kind of get that out of my thinking, and then slowest this quote was, then if you want to be original, just just tell the truth. What that means to me is just paint, just look at something that inspires you and try to paint it as accurately as you can. The style that you are supposed to paint will emerge, you have to just trust that. And so that's really what I have got gotten out of that. And I have so many I often have students asked me about that as well. I just don't know, you know, I feel like I paint in this style. And this style. And this style, I don't know what style of paint well, don't worry about it, just simply tell the truth. Simply try to paint that grouping of trees, just as you see it. And when you do that, you will be beautifully unique, beautifully original. Maybe not the first time. But if you do that over and over and over, you will develop and you will your preferences, your all of your life experience will all end up coming through the end of your brush. And you will create these wonderfully unique pieces without as he says, without you having noticed it. And that's the best part.

Laura Arango Baier: 23:47

Yeah, and I guess that's also, you know, a lot of artists these days, especially artists who have only been existing at the time of social media and haven't understood, you know, life before that, right? A lot of them are very concerned with originality, branding, finding their voice. And I think that that quote, is perfect to counteract, you know, everyone's work just looking inauthentic or not, or even like, because when you look at a painting by someone, sometimes you can tell like you feel it, but it's like this isn't? Yes, maybe the painting isn't bad, but it just isn't authentic. It's not being honest. Somehow, you know?

Daniel Gerhartz: 24:37

Yes, I do. Yeah, I do know what you mean. And, you know. So when I find myself being drawn to trying to be too much like someone, I just have to remember Dan, just just tell the truth. Just be who I was made to be and be good with that and it's going to be sufficient. No, there's only The one you is only one me trust that that's where you're supposed to be with it. So, you know social media is wonderful you know there's there's the exposure to so many different things and I DEA is awesome. Sometimes as an artist as a working artists sometimes that's too much though, sometimes you have to quiet yourself to just listen and figure out what you need to do you know, personally, and you can really easily get confused when you have too much stimulus. So, up

Laura Arango Baier: 25:40

BoldBrush We inspire artists to inspire the world, because creating art creates magic. And the world is currently in desperate need of magic. BoldBrush provides artists with free art marketing, creativity, and business ideas and information. This show is an example. We also offer written resources, articles and a free monthly art contest open to all visual artists. We believe that fortune favors the bold brush. And if you believe that to sign up completely free at BoldBrush show.com. That's B O LD BRUSH show.com. The BoldBrush Show is sponsored by FASO. Now more than ever, it's crucial to have a website when you're an artist, especially if you want to be a professional in your career. Thankfully, with our special link faso.com forward slash podcast, you can make that come true. And also get over 50% off your first year on your artists website. Yes, that's basically the price of 12 lattes in one year, which I think is a really great deal considering that you get sleek and beautiful website templates that are also mobile friendly e commerce print on demand in certain countries, as well as access to our marketing center that has our brand new art marketing calendar. And the art marketing calendar is something that you won't get with our competitor, the art marketing calendar gives you day by day, step by step guides on what you should be doing today, right now in order to get your artwork out there and seen by the right eyes so that you can make more sales this year. So if you want to change your life and actually meet your sales goal this year, then start now by going to our special link faso.com forward slash podcast, that's s a s o.com. Forward slash podcast, Catherine bug kowski motivates us to overcome the difficulties of painting by simply reminding ourselves to remain patient and stay balanced as you explore yourself and your work.

Catherine Bobkoski: 27:30

One thing is, which I hope this doesn't sound like too much of a bummer. But this is a lot of work. Learning to paint, finding your your voice, your the thing that you want to say that is worth sharing with the world, and then learning how to say that thing. Gosh, it's a lot of work, you shouldn't let that intimidate you. But it's just you know, it's not like how it is in the movies, right? You're not just gonna like waltz into the studio and just like slap some paint on a canvas, and someone's gonna pay you a million dollars for it. And be really nice that that was how it was, but but be prepared that it's it's a lot of work. And a lot of it is actually very boring. And if you're a person that, you know, doesn't like being bored. Or maybe doesn't find boring things to be really exciting. Well, you know, either find a way around that. Or maybe there's another thing for you to invest your time and effort into. You know, teaching so many students, I'm still surprised sometimes at how many of them are just just shocked. Oh, this is actually hard. What? Yeah, it is. It's really hard. And making a business out of it is even more difficult. So, number one, be prepared to work really hard. It's not a bad thing. But also you can do it. Right. Yeah. Also you are, you're, I'm sure if you are listening to a podcast like this, if you have put up with what I've had to say, so far. I guarantee you have the patience. And that and you are probably smart enough and interested enough to make it happen. But it takes the time investment and it takes I think the security and the willingness to be vulnerable enough to say no to certain things and to say I don't know certain things, and to invest instead in the things that you really, really do care about. Your painting, I think in a way it takes this very balanced approach between extremes, right? You have to on the one hand, be very confident and at the one hand, be extremely humble. On one hand, be totally invested in your work right and on the other hand, be willing to throw it away trash it start over in a moment's notice, right? You have to be willing to invest so much time, so much care. And at the same time be improvisational, intuitive, gestural, always, you have to have this kind of balance between these extremes. And just live in that, in that crazy wild sauce of stuff. Because we're artists are we're cool with that. And don't expect it to ever be, you know, easy, don't expect yourself to always just have the right answer to have all your steps together. We're all just figuring this out. Right? And to give yourself a break on that to

Laura Arango Baier: 30:35

kind of enqueue tells us about one of the most challenging things that happened to him, and how he transformed himself and his work by turning lead into gold. I

Kai Lun Qu: 30:44

think, to give you an idea, like if you're looking at my social media, you know, see all the followers, I did not have any followers for a good chunk of time, I created my Instagram account back in high school in senior year of high school, and from senior year, which was 2012. To that no, sorry, 2014 2014 from 2014, all the way till when did the pandemic happen? The pandemic 2020 and 2014 all the way to 2020. I had what 3000 followers, two to 3000 followers, you know, it was just it never grew, it just kept was like just there, right? Which is okay, but like, considering I've been on the app for seven years, 2000s like, you know, right, do you expect a little bit more, right. But, you know, I just kind of thought, oh, I guess that's just where it is. But I think it's also because my work wasn't like at that quality yet. So I think that's why people weren't that interested. And I remember it was actually really funny. I kind of have to go a little bit on a tangent here. But it was during the pandemic, actually, I almost quit painting. I almost quit art. Because after I graduated college, I was I moved back to California with my then girlfriend now fiance, and I was like, Okay, what do I do? And since I've been teaching, you know, I started teaching the second year of college, I'm like, keep teaching. And I actually started my own affiliate program, because I was just, you know, I wasn't happy with education I was getting and I wasn't happy with the fact that most schools don't teach that kind of stuff. So I started my own. I got to aarC approved, which is pretty funny. And and, yeah, so that's kind of what I did. And I build it from the ground up, and we ended up getting over hundreds of students. Wow. And then the pandemic struck. No. And then I lost all the students overnight. And because it was, till the day, I was so focused on teaching drawing that I was not painting alleys. You know, I mean, I hosted open model sessions, sometimes every week. That's when I kind of painted but I just was not getting to practicing. So when I tried painting again, I was like, Man, I'm terrible at this now to Oh my God. Oh, this is it. That's it. It's over. Like, you know, I was like Uber hiring like, can I just drive for Uber? Like, I don't I don't want to, you know. So then I went, it was like my most depressing state. I think I gained 40 pounds. One month, one to two months. Like it was bad. I was almost 200 pounds. And yeah, I was just like on bed playing video games, even pizza every day. Like I was just not having it. Yeah. And then after two months, I have to thank my fiance because I asked her I was like, Why have you not commented this? Because she was just going about the day like usual. Right? And I'm like, Yeah, hold on. This is disgusting. How have you not commented about this? Yeah, she's like, What are you talking about? You're taking a break. I'm like, What's, and she's like, you're taking a break, right? And I'm like, Well, you think this is a break? I'm quitting. And she's like, why don't you quit and just take a break? And I'm like, Why did she's like you've been working so hard. Just take a break. You need it. Trust me. And I'm like, You know what, I do need it. She's like, Yeah, don't worry about it. Take a break, you'll you'll come back stronger than ever. Just take a break. I'm like, Okay, well, I will. So I took another week break. You know, where I wasn't feeling bad for myself. Right. And after that, I, I started after that. I I went on social media again, because I deactivated my instagram or not deactivated, but uninstalled my Instagram, because I just was like, I'm not looking at anybody anymore. I am not into our payroll anymore. We activated or I mean, reinstalled it. And then I happened across who is now this one person who's now one of my best friends. Jared Brady. And I saw Jarrett's work before back when he was in 21 under 31. Because, I mean, we were both in that article, but separate yours, right? But I was still keeping up. And I remember I saw his work over I'm like, Oh, this kids pretty decent. He's pretty decent. He's pretty decent. And then I saw his work that he did. Suddenly, and I'm like, what happens? like, Wait, how did you get this? Good? That's crazy. Wait, what happened. And then I thought he was doing something called a strata challenge, which I don't know if you heard about that before. But it was a challenge that Brian, Mark Taylor and Estrada is oh company created, which was, you paint something from life every day for 30 days, 31 days, I believe. And I'm like this. Literally, I saw his process or his progress from day one to like day 30. I'm like, this is like a different person. I'm like, wait, if you can get this good, this is the kind of stuff I need. And I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna go on social media, I'm gonna just post this to keep myself accountable. I wasn't trying to gain followers, I was just trying to hold myself accountable. And then the followers started stacking up, because you post every day, with a similar subject matter every day, people start noticing. So I think I grew from 3000 followers to 10,000, literally within a month. And then after that, it just kept building kept stacking. And I think around day 18, that's when Brian Mark Taylor and Centene Academy because he's the co founder of scenting Academy, that's when they reached out to me. And they're like, Hey, would you like to teach for us? And I'm like, Okay, let's do it. And then after that, I got my sponsorship with Raquel. And after that, yeah, my whole career, it's kind of so I guess they kind of saved my career in a way where they're challenged saved my career. That's awesome. Because not only that, I gained a lot of followers. And especially I feel like after you hit 10k, once people see that k, I think they see you as more trustworthy. So they started, I started getting more messages on commissions, and people were more willing to kind of, you know, go through with it. And yeah, I think I think over that course, I think I did maybe around 60 Commission's that time, a majority of the painting CC from 2019, all the way to this year is majority Commission's actually

Laura Arango Baier: 37:00

Laddies rolled on the models, recounts how her voice found her and how that can happen to you as well, as

Gladys Roldan-de-Moras: 37:06

you know, you know, and probably a lot of people know it. At first, you know, it takes years to really, to really learn the craft. And actually, I don't even think that I've, I've learned that because the more I paint, the more I realize that I have so much more to learn, but, but it took me years and taking workshops with a lot of wonderful artists that I admire, but I always was looking for my voice. I didn't want to be a clone of somebody else. I wanted to find my own voice and a wonderful artists, artists and in teacher heat. I was asking him that one day and he said, well paint what you love and you will find your voice. And one day I was studying a great artists that I admire, that I have studied for many years, which is working Saraiva. Steeda you know, the great Spanish artist and, and I wanted to, I've always been attracted to horses, you know, and and I thought, Gosh, I wish I could go to Spain and tell the spin on the Lucia and, and paint some of those, you know, women on the horse, Elizabeth Daniels, you know, whatever. And, but I couldn't. And then I thought, oh, wait a minute, my grandfather's sport that he loved, which is like Chavarria as my my maternal grandfather. And then I thought, oh, wait a minute, there is alien. So Charles, in Mexican rodeo, here in San Antonio. And I thought, wait a minute, I'm gonna go look for those. And so I was very blessed because there's a lot of channels here in San Antonio. So and there's actually what is considered the oldest lien search Charo in in the United States is here in San Antonio. So So I headed out there and I went to the event and I was just just in heaven, I was just in awe to see these men and women and you know, these true athletes that ride with such fearlessness and such a training and, and I just loved it and and so I started painting the subject matter. And I submitted to several galleries that used to represent me bow I think it was, yeah, in Santa Fe or something. And seemed like people enjoyed it. I didn't really know what I was actually, people say I did or was doing or whatever. But as to finding my voice, and then I submitted one a painting to the American impressionist society, which then I was very fortunate to have went best of shape Oh. And that immediately with that immediately pushed me into Western art. And without knowing a lot, I didn't know I was doing this, I was just painting what I loved, and I loved it, you know, I'm going to show it and I thought, wait a minute. Challenge idea is very much part of Western contemporary Western art, because a lot of people don't know that Mexican shamans have been in the States for many, many years. Actually, I believe the first association was created in 1923 in the states of Chalmers. So it's 100 years, at least, that much more than that. So I said, Wait a minute, you know, I'm painting something that I understand that I love that I think I can, I can open a new dialogue in Western art about it. And then I started paying each other DIA and then I just fell in love with the girls. You know, I always wanted to ride more horses, I did write some but not as much as I wanted. And it's funny because I was just thinking yesterday, my mom brought me my baby book. And my grandmother, she had written that I begged in bed that I wanted a horse in her wedding horse. And I thought that was funny, because the I was attracted since I was a baby to this. So I started painting the girls and the girls in the chat room here were always very important part that they were more in. In a backplane, they were not as important as much as as the chakras. And so without even knowing it, I started bringing them to the, to a more important part. And that's what they say. And but mostly, it opened a dialogue into contemporary Western art to note for people to know, this is very much part of Western art. Now, it has been hard, it was hard to open, you know, to open that door, and you know, but it's been very rewarding. And I feel very lucky to have done it and like I am or still do it. Like I said I painting things that would open dialogue as to wait a minute, are these just girls are riding horses? What are they is this integral? Well, this is the national sport of Mexico, which a lot of people know, I have mentioned that my grandfather very much was involved in making it up was very involved in trying to make it the the national sport of Mexico, which was achieved in 1931. So there is that connection that migrant with me with with my heritage. So I found that in Western art, not only the artists that the collectors are highly educated, they know exactly when you play in a Native American scene. They know what tribe what outfit, you know, or if they're painting Western, what hat with what tag or whatever. They know it very well. Well, I didn't know it. And but I knew Mexican Cerulean, I know I could understand it and, and my goal has been to represent it with a lot of respect and dignity as as, as I should, you know. So I try and do that and try and educate people. And listen, there is a reason for these outfits. There's a reason why they go up out to the neck. There's a reason why you don't put sequencer sorry, because there's rules and regulations. So I am trying to do my little part of keeping this tradition preserving my heritage alive in Western art. And I guess people say, Well, she found a niche. No, I think the niche found me because I painted what I loved. And that is what I tell my friends and students find something that you really love, and you will find your

Laura Arango Baier: 44:12

voice. Finally, all of our sin reminds us to go after our dreams and that the pursuit of the thing we love will inevitably lead to our artistic voice

Oliver Sin: 44:21

finding your own voice. So I guess when I was a student, I didn't know that I have a I had a voice because, you know, I went to school, four years experience. And when I was a student, I'm always quiet. I I listen to my teacher, and I like people to tell me what to do. You know, that is my that is my personality. You know, not everybody, not every student that have that personality. So, you know, I I finished high school in Toronto, Canada moved to San Diego disco. And then I, you know, have four years experience at Academy of Art University. And to be honest, I was a teacher's pet, I listened to my teacher, because I was a student, you know, I was a student, I just don't know, just tell me everything, just show me the step by step, and then I will do everything. So of course, you know, of course, it's not successful, and we so but I still would try it again and again and again and again and again and again. So the tips for the student, you know, for your attorney, I graduated as an illustrator. And I wanted to do a children's book. So I have an interview of ABA hallmarks at that time. But you know, nowadays for marks, you know, we don't buy a greeting card. So when I was a student, I like to do everything traditional, I like to, you know, like Christmas, I like to draw a greeting card to send it to my friends. So I'm an old fashioned, traditional artists, I wanted to do children's book illustration, you know, greeting card, you know. And but I ended up working for George Lucas, I find my first voice was an illustrator, you know, do children's book or greeting card. That was my goal, when I was a student, because I graduated illustration. And then my teacher, you know, graduated from there, and then they they're into greeting cards, watercolor, things like that. So I thought that was, that might be my first voice, but wasn't successful. And then I worked for George Lucas. And then I, then I end up being an animator doing traditional animation. So after i grad, you know, after four years, three and a half years with George Lucas experience, so I make a voice as a concept artist, illustrator. And then after I, I quit, and people keep saying that, Oh, 2d animation. traditional art is dying. No one care, you know, everything is digital. And nowaday, we heard about AI, everything is digital, digital. Ai, no one gives a shit, no one care, excuse me, no one cared about traditional arts. And I don't believe that, you know, because I believe in traditional art, I believe in my artistic skills. And, of course, I can be honest with you. At some point, I betrayed myself. And then I turned down traditional art. It is so easy for me. I have said that before, to say no to artists, and I'm done. I have enough of art. I will I don't want to do this anymore. It is so easy to say I give up. I gave up a little bit. You know for like couple months, six months, you try something else? Because Oh, I thought I'm going to be a children's book illustrator. Oh, I thought I'm gonna be concept artists. But I couldn't able to find a job. You know, I tried to look for a job as an illustrator. No one buy children's books anymore. No one, you know, no one hire a 2d animator anymore. Because everything is digital. 2d animation is dying. No one cared about 2d art. So you know, you heard a lot of like, I want to say it's rumor. You heard a lot, you know, people saying that, Oh, they discourage you to do traditional art. They keep encouraging you. Oh, do digital art easier. Photoshop painting easier? You know, you know, they keep forcing you to do the shortcut. You know, do that. Nowadays, we have AI. But how do you make the voice? How do you find your own voice, you find your own voice based on a different time era. Right now. I'm making a bigger louder voice as a portrait artists using vine charcoal. But I didn't have this voice. When I was a student. I didn't know. I'm good at doing faces. I'm good at Vine, charcoal. But as a student, that four years program actually opened my eyes to try everything. So deep down inside, I have couple ability to do a lot of things. I want to say everything. Of course, I have my own preference. You know, I have my own preference. So you will find your voice while you're searching for it. So you don't know that oh, this is going to be your voice. So imagine like maybe like 10 years later. We will have an interior like this. I don't do poetry in my charcoal anymore. I will do something else. I might do abstract I might do. You know I might paint flowers. I may pay something else. I may do something else. Who knows? I think life is full of lots of surprise. surprises. I think in order to go find your own voice. I think it requires I your own responsibility, your own action. And I didn't know. But I know that I am capable of, you know, doing a lot of things. But at this point 2023 Or, you know, now I'm just offering myself as a vine charcoal portrait artists. So this is one of the voice voices. And that may be like next year I try something else. I will do abstract, I will do plein air, I will do you know tattoo, or a tattoo being a tattoo artist or something else? Who knows. So, you know, I believe in myself, and I believe that I have a lot of things to offer of however, that is required a lot of like, ability, and those ability is based on the artists. If you really, really want something, then you have to go and chase for your artistic trip.

Laura Arango Baier: 50:59

We here at BoldBrush want to give a huge thank you to all of our fantastic guests and for the wonderful advice they have shared with us. We hope you enjoyed this episode as well. And if you did, it would help us a lot if you could leave us a review on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And also remember to follow our Instagram at BoldBrush and subscribe to our YouTube channel where we have began posting the video episodes of the podcast. If you want to see the video episodes before everyone else and also get the best marketing advice out there. Simply go to BoldBrush show.com. And of course you can find all the links in the show notes