the influence of social media pervades my daily life.
as a young adolescent, my passion for creativity was simultaneously inspired and stifled as a result of social media.
i began chasing trends, followers, and likes for validation instead of trying to hone my skill for the sake of loving to create.
the age of social media
Before I began posting on social media myself, I was immersed in the art scene happening there at the time -- my feed was mostly inhabited by artists using Prismacolor pencils in a Strathmore toned tan sketchbook to achieve bright, beautiful drawings. So, I emulated that and asked for those same items for my birthday. Though I didn't have a lot of skill, I still tried to experiment with color and shading.
I was also intrigued by the #InkTober spreading across the app, a challenge for artists intending to encourage improvement of inking skills and encourage positive drawing habits. I decided to partake in it myself in 2018 to see what I could learn, and it definitely brought me outside of my comfort zone.
** this was, of course, before the "Inktober Controversy." If you care to know more about that situation and how it affected the online art community, you can read up on it here.
When I finally dedicated an Instagram account to my art, I found myself mostly drawing portraits and participating in trends and challenges. Celebrity after celebrity, YouTuber after YouTuber, I tried so hard not only to be recognized in the art community, but by these idols I looked up to. Though my skill was improving, my passion was steadily declining.
along with documenting pictures, I tried my best to timelapse my process and even dabbled in Instagram Lives to better connect with the art community.
here I used the very popular grid-method in an attempt to get my proportions correct, but even then I still had troubles with this artwork.
Sofia Wylie, 2018
for starters, I was attempting to use colored pencil on water color paper which made it very hard to blend. More than that though, I didn't have a great sense of capturing likeness in people's faces.