{"id":2302,"date":"2014-07-02T10:16:19","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T14:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=2302"},"modified":"2019-07-14T11:24:30","modified_gmt":"2019-07-14T15:24:30","slug":"break-the-rules-with-your-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/break-the-rules-with-your-art","title":{"rendered":"Break the Rules With Your Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Breaking<\/div>\n
\nI\u2019m a rule follower.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m a rule follower to a fault. I never wanted to risk \u201cgetting in trouble\u201d, and as a result, I probably missed out on some opportunities in life.<\/p>\n

If truth be told, I bet most of us are rule followers.\u00a0 We are content to stay within the \u201cboundaries\u201d, protected by the walls of the rules.\u00a0 After all, the nail that sticks out gets the hammer, right?<\/p>\n

The Rules Are Safe<\/h2>\n

Following the rules is safe.\u00a0 It won\u2019t make you stand out, and it won\u2019t get you in trouble.\u00a0 Safe.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to making art, the rule followers aren\u2019t rewarded for their conformity, nor do they receive any accolades for matching the status quo.<\/p>\n

There are many \u201crules\u201d that are seemingly associated with making art.\u00a0 Hold your pencil this way<\/a>, or mix your colors that way, or paint on this surface with this specific medium –\u00a0 and the list goes on.<\/p>\n

It is true that there are certain limitations to mediums that artists use, and knowledge of those limitations is important for success.\u00a0 Honestly, it is sometimes easy to get caught up in all of these regulations and believe that similar regulations exist for how we create. \u00a0They don’t.<\/p>\n

Art is art because it is made by an artist.\u00a0 Our artistic creativity should be limited by our creativity, not by some method of production.<\/p>\n

True artists possess knowledge of media processes and are skilled in using the medium to communicate the idea.\u00a0 The vehicle in which the idea is communicated by the artist, the “voice” of the artist, is where the rules are shattered.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ever Heard of Charles Pollock?<\/h2>\n

Let me offer an example of why \u201cshattering the rules\u201d is important.\u00a0 Did you know that Jackson Pollock had a brother that was an artist?<\/p>\n

\"Charles
Charles Pollock, 1940 \/ unidentified photographer. Charles Pollock papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Charles Pollock was the eldest brother of the Pollock family and was a technically skilled artist.\u00a0 Yet, many of you probably never heard of him.<\/p>\n

Considered a Social Realist<\/a>, his work was decidedly different from that of his famous brother. \u00a0 It was safe.\u00a0 Charles Pollock was a rule follower.<\/p>\n

Charles Pollock’s work actually appeals more to my own opinions about aesthetics than that of his younger brother. \u00a0However, his work did not “break the mold” or change the “status quo”, so it remains relatively unknown to the world.<\/p>\n

Later in his life, Charles begin to paint more abstractly, perhaps influenced by his brother’s success. \u00a0But his later works never produced the acclaim of that of his brother.<\/p>\n

Unlike his brother, Jackson Pollock was not afraid to break from the artistic conformities. \u00a0His art, whether you like it or not, was different. \u00a0It was this difference – this non-conformity, that set him apart, that placed his legacy in the art history books.<\/p>\n

This non-conformity of “famous” artists is repeated looking back through time. \u00a0It is the artists that change perception, or break the conformities that are remembered and revered. \u00a0DeKooning, DuChamp, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, El Greco, and others are examples of artists that challenged the “standard”, setting themselves apart as not just artists, but visionaries.<\/p>\n

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The Challenge<\/h2>\n

Therein lies the challenge for artists today. \u00a0With so much history behind us and with so much already pioneered in the visual arts, where do we make our brushstroke on the world? \u00a0How do we set ourselves apart?<\/p>\n

“There are more copies than originals among people.” – Picasso<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s clearly no defined answer to this question. \u00a0I think it important to continue to develop our technical skills, to become masters at them, while along the way search for our voice. \u00a0And when the artistic voice is found, it must be shouted to be heard.<\/p>\n

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