New Text Quilt Block: Consistency

New text block: "consistency"

When I started out in illustration, I was pretty confident in my drawing skills, but I hadn’t developed the same comfort level with any particular medium. This led to mixed results in my work and, if I’m honest, I wasn’t always satisfied with the final product.

My goal was to get to a place where people hired me for my unique style. Samples in my portfolio needed to reflect the level of care, professionalism, and proficiency that I would be bringing to a future project. That wasn’t going to happen until there was consistency in the work I presented.

The first big step in this direction was to settle on a technique that combined watercolor, gouache and line work. I began exploring and experimenting with these materials, in order to be so familiar with them that I could manipulate the paint to achieve the effects I wanted. But proficiency with the materials was a just piece of the puzzle.  

It took me a while to realize that choosing a medium wasn’t the only thing that needed to be addressed in my quest for consistent quality. This required a hard look at my creative process, with a specific focus on the work I felt was most successful. I literally wrote myself a list of steps, beginning with the conceptual stage and following through to the finished piece. It was then that I realized my work fell apart when I skipped a step. So the list got tacked above my drawing board as a kind of general check list; a reminder that there was an aspect of deliberate, purposeful planning involved in creating.

In the context of art, a self-imposed, predetermined or rigid course of action might sound counterintuitive. This was an effort to be more conscious of the methods I had internalized, and sometimes overlooked, or forgotten. I actually found it very freeing. It was like going into autopilot in one part of the process so that the creative juices could flow in other directions. I began to see that consistency in the quality of my work reflected the consistency I brought in executing my vision for it. Eventually, I didn’t need to consult the list; each step had become a natural part of creating.

I mention this because I know that frustration can build over a series of less than satisfying experiences, especially in the creative process. Many times this is due to lack of experience with the materials or techniques of your craft, but even seasoned artists and craftsmen can go through a bumpy patch.  

The answer may be to take a moment to reflect.

Whether you examine your previous work in order to improve your execution, or you look at each step of your process to determine where there is an opportunity to infuse even more creativity, thoughtful examination can help chart a course for future successes.