And a few more things

A few more things. First, make sure the heart is in the right place. Your heart, and the artwork's heart.

Second, how do you practice craft? Most importantly, just do it. Create art. Write, or paint, or whatever you do. Second, read other person's artworks which are done well. And there are two ways to learn craft from there. You can learn the technical rules. Read where other people have written the technical rules of good craft. That way is probably much easier.

But that is not the way I do it. I go by feel. This is probably much harder, but this is what I am good at. Going by feel. I have always read a lot. And so I read. And I know good writing when I read it. And I go by feel. This took me a very long time to get right- like the first thirty years of my life. I did not know it, but I was practicing to be a writer from early childhood. I liked pretend play. That was my stories. And I read a lot. And when I had to do creative reading for English class, I loved it and poured myself into it. And I was always reading. And always telling my own stories in pretend play. So by the time I set out to be a writer, I was an old hand at feeling what a good story felt like.

And so if that is what you are good at, go by feel. Go ahead. Read other works (or listen to other works, or whatever), learn what feels right, and practice it. I'm sure this is much the harder way to learn craft, but in my case this is what I am good at.

Otherwise, learning the technical rules and looking for the way they are used in well done artworks is probably much easier. I can't give you any advice on how to do that. Because I have never done that. I don't know any technical rules of writing, just a lifetime's practice learning what feels right. But this is probably much the harder way- it is just what I am very good at. If you too are very good at going by feel, go ahead. Otherwise, learning the technical rules and looking for how other great artists use them is probably much easier. I just can't give you much advice on how to do that.

Anyway, that is a few more things in advice to artists.

Have fun and be creative!

And make sure the heart is in the right place. because that really is the most important thing, even more than craft.

Sincerely,

David S. Annderson