- Invitation Status
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- Multiple posts per day
- Multiple posts per week
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Female
- Genres
- If someone can come up with a good plot, I'm basically up for anything! Some of my favorites though are Sci-Fi, fantasy, myths and legends, and basically anything anime. I really like to take already existing universes and then create original characters to roleplay with. Again, I am open to original ideas as well!
Ex. I really like the world of Avatar the Last Airbender, but I don't really want to roleplay Aang, Katara and the rest of the gang. I would rather make original characters to roleplay in the world that already exists.
Some of the universes I'm familiar with include:
Games:
Nier: Automata
Witcher Wild Hunt
Mass Effect
Dragon Age
Last of Us
Castlevania
Legend of Zelda
Tomb Raider
Resident Evil
Dead Space
Fire Emblem
Anime:
Attack on Titan
Tokyo Ghoul
Owari No Seraph
B The Beginning
Parasyte
Sirius the Jaeger
Psycho Pass
-
I subscribe to this Blog from one of the artists that I absolutely love. Art books and the like and hearing about people's own creative journey really drive my own motivation to continue doing what I have a passion for - creativity! Even if a lot of people in my life don't understand it, it's important to me. Spreading the love today and sharing this article that I read this morning. It's talking about art, but I think it is more than applicable for us writing fiends on iwaku too. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts below! Also if you enjoy this article, would highly recommend subscribing to Lea's blog.
Now get out there and have an awesome day!
Dear little demon,
Welcome to the edition #51 of The Art Missive (already!!). We are 24,680
in this newsletter and whether you've been here from the start or just arrived, thank you so much for reading ❤.
1/ Intro.
2/ No one is spared.
3/ It's never about skills.
4/ You're not your thoughts.
5/ Mastering your internal dialogue.
6/ Conclusions.
This morning, I grabbed the same sketchbook I've been using for years. Sharpened my pencils just like I always do, and settled into my desk, just as I've done for years. And then, I placed the sharpened tip of my pencil on the paper and...
Nothing happened.
Nothing.
I forgot how to draw.
I tried to motivate myself, saying, "Come on, you're just tired."
I started, but nothing went as planned: my drawing looked awful. What's going on? How did a practice that used to bring me so much joy become so stressful and painful?
It didn't take long to realize that the problem was coming from within myself. Or rather, how I was talking to myself was hindering my creativity.
Welcome to edition #51 of the Art Missive, where I learn to master my inner dialogue as a frustrated artist.
We all have this voice in our heads, commenting on everything we do.
When we start creating art and especially when we're beginners, this voice encourages us. It congratulates us. And celebrates every little victory. But as we progress, this voice develops expectations. It becomes more critical. It focuses more on our mistakes and the gap between who we are and who we want to be.
Gradually, it shifts from being your greatest supporter to your harshest critic.
And this has probably happened at least once to everyone who has tried to acquire a new skill. And it's natural: the more we progress, the more we're able to understand our mistakes and the progress we still need to make.
The problem with this mechanism is that it can lead to a complete blockage of our ability to draw:
Today, I couldn't draw. In this case, how do you escape it?
There are mornings when I feel beautiful, desirable, and unstoppable. Then the next day, for no apparent reason, I wake up feeling as ugly as sin, and all I want to do is hide under my covers. Yet, nothing has really changed between the two. I haven't gained 20 pounds overnight, or had a sudden breakout, or lost my hair, or whatever. The only thing that changed is how I see myself.
The same goes for creativity. We don't become less creative overnight. However, we might feel less creative. This subtlety makes all the difference because then we understand that it's a matter of perception.
In his anchoring class at New Master Academy, artist Miles Yoshida reveals the impact of our mindset when drawing and clearly demonstrates how our inner dialogue can either deteriorate or improve the quality of the lines we draw, regardless of the artist's skill level.
I've noticed every time I'm feeling a bit off, too anxious, or when life gets busy, the quality of my drawings declines. For example, in December 2023, I experienced burnout after launching my first drawing course, Reality to Fantasy, and suffered from lack of sleep and extreme anxiety. As a result, in the 6 weeks following the launch, I only drew 3 times, whereas I used to draw every day.
Today, I'm still dealing with the aftermath of this burnout. And my inner dialogue is more dreadful than ever. This pushed me to question the reasons and seek solutions.
I believe that some artists may struggle more with their inner dialogue than others. That's why it's crucial to ask yourself why your inner dialogue is so harsh with yourself.
All this work has led me to realize that between the success of my course and my explosion on social media, the expectations placed on me have increased. In response, I started aiming to create perfect and extraordinary art. My internal dialogue sounded like this: "everything you do is worthless" "your art doesn't deserve this success" "you need to do better". It could only lead me to a dead end.
In his book, The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer reveals:
He suggests that to control your inner dialogue, you should treat yourself as your own best friend. This concept involves self-encouragement and being compassionate toward yourself, much like you would be toward a close friend. This approach could prove highly effective in transforming your inner dialogue into something empowering.
Personally, I believe in this approach, but I struggle to apply it. Coming from an immigrant family, I wasn't raised with positive affirmations and encouragement. So, being kind to myself doesn't come easily.
That's why I can relate more to the artist Michael Mattesi, who advocates three steps to control your inner dialogue and turn it into a strength when creating art:
Of course, mastering my inner dialogue will take time and practice.
Keep a childlike spirit, preserve the fun and love of drawing.
Otherwise, you may burn out.
That's all from me, see you next week!
Léa
Now get out there and have an awesome day!
Dear little demon,
Welcome to the edition #51 of The Art Missive (already!!). We are 24,680
in this newsletter and whether you've been here from the start or just arrived, thank you so much for reading ❤. In this Missive:
1/ Intro.
2/ No one is spared.
3/ It's never about skills.
4/ You're not your thoughts.
5/ Mastering your internal dialogue.
6/ Conclusions.
1/ Intro.
This morning, I grabbed the same sketchbook I've been using for years. Sharpened my pencils just like I always do, and settled into my desk, just as I've done for years. And then, I placed the sharpened tip of my pencil on the paper and...
Nothing happened.
Nothing.
I forgot how to draw.
I tried to motivate myself, saying, "Come on, you're just tired."
I started, but nothing went as planned: my drawing looked awful. What's going on? How did a practice that used to bring me so much joy become so stressful and painful?
It didn't take long to realize that the problem was coming from within myself. Or rather, how I was talking to myself was hindering my creativity.
Welcome to edition #51 of the Art Missive, where I learn to master my inner dialogue as a frustrated artist.
2/ No one is spared.
We all have this voice in our heads, commenting on everything we do.
When we start creating art and especially when we're beginners, this voice encourages us. It congratulates us. And celebrates every little victory. But as we progress, this voice develops expectations. It becomes more critical. It focuses more on our mistakes and the gap between who we are and who we want to be.
Gradually, it shifts from being your greatest supporter to your harshest critic.
And this has probably happened at least once to everyone who has tried to acquire a new skill. And it's natural: the more we progress, the more we're able to understand our mistakes and the progress we still need to make.
The problem with this mechanism is that it can lead to a complete blockage of our ability to draw:
Today, I couldn't draw. In this case, how do you escape it?
3/ It's never about skills.
There are mornings when I feel beautiful, desirable, and unstoppable. Then the next day, for no apparent reason, I wake up feeling as ugly as sin, and all I want to do is hide under my covers. Yet, nothing has really changed between the two. I haven't gained 20 pounds overnight, or had a sudden breakout, or lost my hair, or whatever. The only thing that changed is how I see myself.
The same goes for creativity. We don't become less creative overnight. However, we might feel less creative. This subtlety makes all the difference because then we understand that it's a matter of perception.
In his anchoring class at New Master Academy, artist Miles Yoshida reveals the impact of our mindset when drawing and clearly demonstrates how our inner dialogue can either deteriorate or improve the quality of the lines we draw, regardless of the artist's skill level.
I've noticed every time I'm feeling a bit off, too anxious, or when life gets busy, the quality of my drawings declines. For example, in December 2023, I experienced burnout after launching my first drawing course, Reality to Fantasy, and suffered from lack of sleep and extreme anxiety. As a result, in the 6 weeks following the launch, I only drew 3 times, whereas I used to draw every day.
Today, I'm still dealing with the aftermath of this burnout. And my inner dialogue is more dreadful than ever. This pushed me to question the reasons and seek solutions.
4/ You're not your thoughts.
I believe that some artists may struggle more with their inner dialogue than others. That's why it's crucial to ask yourself why your inner dialogue is so harsh with yourself.
All this work has led me to realize that between the success of my course and my explosion on social media, the expectations placed on me have increased. In response, I started aiming to create perfect and extraordinary art. My internal dialogue sounded like this: "everything you do is worthless" "your art doesn't deserve this success" "you need to do better". It could only lead me to a dead end.
In his book, The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer reveals:
In other words, just because I don't like what I do doesn't mean it's unlikable. During my blockage last December and January, and while my inner dialogue was most critical, I gained nearly 80,000 followers and received overwhelming messages of support.
5/ Mastering your internal dialogue.
He suggests that to control your inner dialogue, you should treat yourself as your own best friend. This concept involves self-encouragement and being compassionate toward yourself, much like you would be toward a close friend. This approach could prove highly effective in transforming your inner dialogue into something empowering.
Personally, I believe in this approach, but I struggle to apply it. Coming from an immigrant family, I wasn't raised with positive affirmations and encouragement. So, being kind to myself doesn't come easily.
That's why I can relate more to the artist Michael Mattesi, who advocates three steps to control your inner dialogue and turn it into a strength when creating art:
- First, break the autopilot mode and become aware that this inner dialogue exists.
- Ask yourself the right questions. The brain loves to answer questions. If your inner dialogue is filled with questions like "Why am I so bad?" or "Why can't I do this?", your brain will be focused on the negative and self-criticism. Instead, if you replace these questions with constructive and productive ones like "Where is the light in this reference?" or "How can I adjust this eye?", then your brain will be focused on actually creating and improving.
- Be kind to yourself. Even if it's difficult and may take years to achieve. Train your brain to celebrate your small victories like when you first started drawing.
6/ Conclusion.
Of course, mastering my inner dialogue will take time and practice.
Keep a childlike spirit, preserve the fun and love of drawing.
Otherwise, you may burn out.
That's all from me, see you next week!
Léa
