Finding Your Style

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By Kendall Leigh Swart

“Your art is not about how many people like your work, your art is about if your heart likes your work, if your soul likes your work. It’s about how honest you are with yourself and you must never trade honesty for relatability.” — Rupi Kaur

“This statement by Rupi Kaur perfectly sums up the journey I’ve been on over the years.  For far too long, I didn’t listen to my heart and soul.  I tried in desperation to cater to what I thought people would like, what I thought people would buy.  There was a yearning to create, but I hadn’t found my voice.  I let fear and doubt run the roost and this inevitably left me feeling lost and directionless.  I dabbled in all sorts of mediums and subject matters in search of that one thing that felt right, the one thing that would make me successful. Truthfully, it always fizzled out because my heart wasn’t in it. 

I was doing it for the wrong reasons.

Despite this, it was a necessary journey to go on in order to find my voice.  I had to slow down, stop for a while and allow space for fear and doubt.  Once I realised that these feelings will always be there in some form and not waiting for that one thing that will make me an overnight success, I was ready to tackle finding my voice and being unapologetic about it.

I believe it is so important to try different things, even if it’s just to find out what you don’t like.  The hours you have to physically put in to do the work is important, but it is essential to explore why you are doing what you are doing.  This is important for my sanity and, hopefully, longevity as an artist.

If you are constantly doing what you think people want to see, you will be pulled in all sorts of directions, wearing you thin.  You will be constantly comparing yourself to others, and never allowing yourself to find your voice and the confidence that comes with that.  Art is subjective, we’ve heard that a lot.  But coming to terms with the fact that not everyone will like what I do, or at least not enough to be moved to buy a piece, is a hard pill to swallow.

It is impossible to cater to everyone’s likes.

Most people don’t even know what they like until they see it and it speaks to them. I believe your audience knows when your heart is in it.  Have you ever looked at an artwork and just felt something?  I feel like that’s the recognition of the artists’ passion, hours, love and soul.

In the same breath, I have to acknowledge that we as artists need to make money somehow and often commissions are the bread and butter.  But while you do this, you must find time for yourself and do the works that calls to you, that makes your heart sing, that makes you excited to get up in the morning and continue working.

After many frustrating years, I had an epiphany in the middle of the night.  Whilst attempting to fall asleep it quite literally came to me in a vision.  I had this image of the petals of the hibiscus flower being flesh-like and it being quite similar to our flesh in the way that it takes on different textures and colours.  The texture being soft like our own flesh.  This reminded me of our connection to nature and my yearning to be close to it.  I quickly jotted this concept down, scared that it was a fleeting moment in the middle of the night.  I settled back into my sleep sure of the stories I wanted to tell and the images I wanted to create.  I was excited to start this journey with my first hibiscus drawing.

What started as a way to inspire people to love nature, get excited about it and take care of it, became my way to connect to nature.  It just feels right.  I quite literally slow down to smell the flowers, I am present in that moment.  I am fortunate enough to have experience as professional photographer and use this passion to deeply influence my art work.  Looking for the right light, colour and composition, I use these images as reference for my pieces.

I have now started introducing my daughter to this world.  This big, yet small world all around us.  We pay attention to the texture of bark, the ants that scurry across the leaves, the way the light shines through the plants and how this affects the colours of flower.  It is truly magical.  This is my form of meditation and connection.  Finding your style is about listening and trusting yourself.

Self doubt and fear are apart of the journey I’m afraid.  But understanding this, helped me use it as a tool, learning from my mistakes and the pieces that didn’t quite make the cut.  Finding your style comes with time & perseverance.  Putting in the hours and allowing for the space to explore without judgement is vital. 

Find time for your voice.”

Kendyll-Leigh is one of our premium members and recently also started work on a stunning new collection combining Fauna and Flora.  You can view her work on our Online Gallery!  Thank you for thee lovely insights about Finding Your Artistic Style.

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