Not Every Artwork is a Masterpiece

Perfectionism vs Skill Building

Hey friends,

Greetings from Delhi, India!

Over the past two months, I’ve seriously gotten back into art, and I’m showing no signs of stopping. Every week, I’ve been illustrating an animal from India. This is doing wonders for my mental health while simultaneously adding to my portfolio.

Since I’ve been receiving an outpouring of praise for my art, I thought I’d share some of my pieces that...didn’t go all that well.

---

The realities of art

One of the birds that I’ve always wanted to draw is the Brown Fish Owl, and a few weeks ago, I gave it a shot.

This is not the first time I’ve tried to draw this owl. In fact, this must be my 4th or 5th attempt. (If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, then you’ll know about my fascination for owls.)

And yet, once it was done, I looked at it, and only one thought roared in my mind.

Not good enough.

It took me a whole week to realise that not all pieces need to be a masterpiece. Sometimes, we need to make art just for the sake of it. As artists, we can’t be 100% happy with our art. That’s simply not possible. We just need to learn to be okay with it.

Whenever I end up unhappy with my art, I think of the parable of the pottery class.

There was once a pottery class that was divided into two sections. The first section was instructed to make a single pot in 30 days. They had to spend that entire month working on that single pot, perfecting it as much as possible,

The second section had to make one pot per day for 30 days. They had to focus on getting as many reps in as possible.

At the end of the 30 days, both sections were tested on their skills.

And the more skilled potters all came from the second section. 

In this case, quantity mattered more than quality.

So, with my art, I’m focusing on just getting as many reps in as possible. It’s okay if some pieces aren’t all that great. That’s preferable even. 

Journey over destination. 

Postcard

Here is the same species I drew above—the Brown Fish Owl.

One of the reasons I like owls is that they aren’t easy to find. They’re not like other birds—bulbuls or doves, for instance—that can be found with ease. They exist in much lower densities. And so you don’t see one on every excursion.

But when you do find them, they stare right into your soul. There is something about their hypnotic eyes. I could stare into them forever.

Every owl I’ve seen has burnt themselves onto my retinas. When I close my eyes, I see them.

Favourite Quote

“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman

Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)