Progression

I've been looking through some of my older pieces and I'm really proud of the way my art is coming along.  Despite not having a degree in art, I am constantly learning, which I think is evident in the evolution of my work.  To be able to look back and see the changes is such a marvelous thing.  I like to see how I've changed and what's gotten better over time.  There's also an aspect of liking to remember a period, or certain technique that I used to use more heavily than I do now.

This is an old (2009) era photo I took that I re-edited when I made my textures.  I still like this picture, but it isn't up to the standard of something I would sell today.  I did back in 2009 though - this picture was in my shop.

This was taken around a year later in 2010, when I went to Bermuda.  I love this picture of the Bermuda Cathedral, because I took it without intending to take it, if that makes any sense.  I was just taking a lot of shots of the building, and this happened to be one of them that I saw after the fact.  It was a beautiful shot that came out of just shooting to shoot.

Ah, and now we come to Winter Gold, taken at the beginning of 2013.  I danced when I finished the editing on this.  While it does utilize multiple textures, I adore the way it came out.  It has a sister shot that came out equally well, but I prefer this one because it gives the illusion of an undisturbed landscape - in the other shot the parking lot for the beach was clearly visible.

But this grouping displays a real timeline how my work came along.  I can take less pictures now and have better results - and rely less on the automatic settings for the camera, which don't always take the best shot for you.  I love seeing the progression and knowing that as I continue, my work will change a great deal more, and I will someday look back on Winter Gold and remember fondly when I took pictures like that.

I could do the same thing for my illustration work, patterns, space art and drawing.  I can see changes in them as I refine and hone my techniques and learn new skills.  But I can be proud of all of my work - I know that I was doing my best at the time, and have never delivered less than that.  As my aptitude changes, so does my output - which is what we all strive for when working.  I hope that on your creative journeys, you are able to map your progress and look back with pride at the steps you've taken to get to where you are.

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