A Creature Meets Creators

Over the weekend I’ve had the chance to meet up with a bunch of cool creative critters with a passion for making videos. A good friend connected us all together with the idea of collaborating on some creations. I’m not going to say more on specifics just yet but there’s a lot of energy and things I’m excited about. Naturally, a lot of us were meeting each other for the first time, and spent a bit talking about what we do, interests, usual meet-n-greet stuff. I feel like I talked several folks’ ears off with my own excitement.

A topic came up once or twice about being surrounded by people that have made so many things, compared to your own experience and perspective. I think that comes up a lot when creative types get together, that it always seems like everyone else has done so much more, and it makes your own contributions feel… small.

I’ve heard of this notion before, that when you’re around so many other people making so many awesome things, that you feel like you’ve snuck in to a situation, like you don’t belong. And it’s worth thinking about: what does all of that experience mean if you’re just starting out? Impostor syndrome can rear its ugly head even if you do have experience making the same things that others do. Heck I even felt that when meeting folks over the weekend, before we all got to know each other and see where interests were.

I’ve sure spoken about impostor syndrome a lot in past videos. I first learned about this on the job in the context of engineering, but I think it’s even more of a menace in creative circles. Talking about impostor syndrome inspired me to start doing Q&As, to chat with others working through the same feelings. Q&As, digital art tutorials, and a whole collection of motivational thoughts have built this channel up into what it is today. Hello, by the way — my name’s Kanjon and I’ve made it my mission to spread creativity through art and beyond: to convince you that you can learn to draw and express yourself, to show that you’re not alone in the struggle to practice and sharpen your skill. Subscribe and share this with someone who needs a creative boost, or who just wants to watch a creature wiggle around on screen thinking he’s people.

Where do we start with such an abstract thought like this? You, and your experience, versus the experience of those around you. Maybe that’s in-person, maybe it’s just on social media. This isn’t something like imposter syndrome where I can try to help defeat those feelings: with any kind of skill you’re bound to meet people more experienced than you. Where do we start to untangle things?

Little did you know but I’ve been scattering hints in what I’ve been saying in the form of one word: creation. Creativity, creators, all forms branching off of the word “create”. There’s something nice and simple about that word. It’s about the act of making something, not showing off your experience. Sure, past creations and experiences lead to skill and influence future creations, no doubt. But it’s the CREATION that gets people excited, and the passion behind it. Why else do we like to make things? Why do you think artists haven’t flocked over to AI slop? Because that would skip right over the fun part, the part where we create.

I’ll put that another way. I think that if you want to learn from others and collaborate, you can be a way more fun person than trying to sit on experience alone. Personally I love to show people how to make things, (why else do you think I’ve made over 100 videos about this), and I think a lot of other artists do too. When I show someone something new and see them use that skill in their own work, it’s… just so goddamn cool. I melt whenever people show me art that they’ve created using something I’ve shown them, whether that’s a motivational video or a digital art trick. Even that indirect influence in what they made makes it a shared experience.

I know some people might still feel like a burden with such an experience gap, so let me reinforce this again: your inexperience can actually help an experienced person learn something as they teach you. Creative skills have no exact way to do something, and you, right away will bring a fresh perspective on how to create something when you try it. Someone might show you their expert-level shading method, maybe even walk you through it yourself, and you might stumble into a different way that makes a unique style all of your own. And the person teaching you might go, “woah, I didn’t know you could do that” and try it themselves! That isn’t even some wistful hypothetical, this happens alllll the time when I’m showing people things. I learn so much by showing other people how to make art, it is a key way I build my own skills.

And after you learn from someone, with that same person, you might even stumble into a situation where you’re suddenly the expert on another topic and get to show them how it’s done. There’s so much value to the social aspects of creativity, and even if you’re not the type that can draw around others, being a friendly open-minded creature can be so, so rewarding as you work on your skills. (Wait. Creature! That’s another “create” word!)

Art is fantastic because we create it as people, because we discover new things about the work and ourselves. Especially in a society that wants us to shut up and consume, one of the brightest moments can be when you’re fighting back and making something because YOU want to make it. Let’s embrace that more. Let’s be the rebellion, let’s make things, let’s help each other make things. The passion to create keeps us going: let’s chase it!