I remember when I was young I wanted to live in San Francisco. As a young artist at the time, I was simply told that's where the "art community" was and I wanted to be apart of a creative collective that would understand me.
Boy, have times changed! I don't think I ever felt apart of "the art community". Sure, I always enjoyed illustrating and there was a time under my art teacher's tutelage I met diverse and interesting people. But I never really "clicked". Years later I went to the art institute in Minneapolis which was in my opinion one big scam. I recall being excited seeing a colorful flyer that boasted people who intended AI colleges had worked with everyone from George Lucas to Jim Henson. When you're a dumb 21 year old you don't think more critically. I mean those people were probably working in cubicles or taking out the garbage! They definitely were not the creative minds driving everything. Maybe guy A designed a single battle ship in clone wars that was seen for 30 seconds or girl B got to do some famous person's make up. And for them those were "highlights" in their careers. Regardless, I floundered around in that environment like a fish out of water. At the time I didn't even know much about digital art programs or web site designing software so of course that put me at a major disadvantage in "everything"! I didn't even know what photoshop was so let's be real fam, I was "doomed" from the beginning!
As wonderful as my vocational counselor had been, we never really talked about my very limited knowledge of computers. All she knew is I could draw "aight" for someone my age and that was it. Regardless there's a huge divide between liberal arts and commercial arts. Sure, I had a few classes where I actually got to draw or paint but the majority of it was over my head. I'm not going to go into specifics but after I shattered my ankle and was struggling at all my courses I knew it was over. I returned home and meandered around awhile until "eventually" after having gone thru paying rent at a boarding house whilst being a dish washer,couch surfing with friends,briefly being re-institutionalized into a mental asylum,and becoming homeless, I "finally" got my shit together enough to get an apartment and get the help I needed to maintain a small but steady income. It was "hell" and probably the hardest time of my life. I'm grateful some people cared enough to keep me motivated enough to not completely give up because I certainly was tempted!
Anyway, the small city I settled in did have its' own art community and lotsa coffee houses if you were more into the "poetry night" side of things. By that point I finally had a computer and was experimenting with coloring my art digitally but I was utterly awful at it! Regardless, I didn't fit in with all the people welding together metal sculptures,painting surreal landscapes,and running around naked and streaked with random colors just to make some kind of "profound statement". All my hardships had made me more withdrawn so I retreated to online to showcase my stuff there. For years I was an obnoxious train-wreck of a fool. I contribute that partially to the medication cocktail I was on but also having major arrested development issues. Things got "a bit better" after I ditched the "mental wellness" pills that made me a total mess, got into gaming, and began writing about game design while simultaneously cranking out the occasional game review. I found gamers were a friendlier audience than avante garde art snoots and to be frank I had more in common with geeks and gamers anyway! Needless to say, my 30's were filled with less turbulence and better decisions when compared to my 20's. I had finally become an "adult" albeit being a late bloomer. Oh, I still made mistakes and was probably still more naive when compared to other people in my age group "but" I arrived at a point it was like I was a whole other person and better off for it.
Regardless now I'm 41 I can attest I've improved at my craft. Perhaps not as much as I want to but to a point I do not feel it has all been a total waste of time. But there are things I've learned about the "art community" even being an outsider looking in and they are as follows!
-No matter how good you think you are thousands of people are better!
-"Age" doesn't make you the best at your craft. If anything younger artists are growing up with better and better technology to help them learn and refine their illustration ability.
-You can't please everyone,even when you try. Hopefully you can at least please yourself!
-You will encounter people who discriminate against you based on your age,gender,beliefs,past,and the subject matter you choose to illustrate. It sucks feeling as if you're at the other end of the hipster-artist-beatnik-inquisition but if you love what you do enough,don't let "the haters" make you quit.
-For me art is therapy so even when I don't get much attention and even when I'm not making money it's still helping me mentally and spiritually!
-Would I like to be successful? Sure, but this is my passion so even if I continue to go unnoticed I will continue on for my personal well being! What can I say? Drawing is fun,yo! Hopefully it's just as fun for you too!
-Just being a guy who draws attractive women and erotica comes with its' own unique social stigmas but keep in mind even if you try to edit your work to appease the thought-police they will "never" be happy and always come at you with a new list of ridiculous demands. Change your subject matter if "you" want to try something new but don't EVER succumb to the morally outraged mob!