Most of us either roll our eyes or unconditionally praise the works of Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol because they were undoubtedly two of the most influential artists of the time. But what for? Doing something so simple as to splattering paint drunkenly on a canvas or copying pictures of soup cans and applying filters? Of course. But they were the first to do it, and as a result they became billionaire celebrities and common household names.
I've liked art since I was a little girl. Yeah, I guess I could say I was decent. I loved drawing cartoons of Sonic the Hedgehog and other popular video game characters. I was a nerd and I played all the newest video games at the time such as pokemon, WoW, Mario, all of the good stuff. I continued to draw all of my favorite characters, filling up hundreds of clean blank pages of paper, the same ones that my mom needed for printing. All I wanted to do was pick up that pencil and escape into a world of boundless freedom. I experimented with colored pencils, pastels, paints, even dirt and no matter where I was, people always found a fascination with my art. I was really proud of bringing people together with my skill.
Everything changed when my dad bought me my first digital tablet. For those who are unaware, it enables a user to paint digitally on a computer. I practiced and practiced and set up a username on Deviantart, but barely got any views, favorites, or comments. I was just learning how to use it and my art probably looked unclean and amateur. At school my professors and teachers criticized my art, saying that it “was not a style” and that “anime is not art”. I felt powerless in the community of the most famous digital artists currently working for companies such as Pixar and Disney, etc.
However, I didn’t stop… and for awhile art for me was just a hobby for me, but I practiced and practiced until someone messaged me on my website claiming to want to buy my art. An idea sprung up in my mind: what if I could sell this, and make a profit? Strictly business, I decided to take clients and set up commission rates, and to my surprise, fish started nibbling. The true value of this style is not in the original works, but the fanart, the very thing I grew up doing. I started drawing characters, each piece selling for $60 or more. Then it hit me, I needed to expand. I started going to conventions, where people would come with thousands of dollars to spend on drawings of their favorite characters. It was amazing. People had started to notice my art around the internet.
In my years of college, I have built my “art empire” around my anime, and am proud to say that although I never thought my little hobby would generate such a huge support, it did. And not only that, my little hobby has proven to be financially beneficial and internationally recognized around the web.
So for those who draw and are constantly criticized for their style, KEEP DOING IT! There are people who appreciate so many different kinds of art, and I am glad that I never put it down. Just be unique, and be you, and let your emotions come through.
