Evaluation (Digital Media)

Digital Media was a topic I was excited for when I saw it on our curriculum.  Along with Illustration, it was one of the subjects I was the most excited for.  But when we first talked about it, I wasn't all that enthusiastic.  Looking at digital printing and the surface pattern uses disheartened me and I was worried it would end up being closer to Contemporary than what I had envisioned.  This immediately killed my thought process, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for the unit.  When we started to look at different artists and styles, I made an intentional stride to find artists who bridged the gap between what we were looking at, and the type of art I knew I was interested in and wanted to work with.

Aaron Campbell is the best example of that.  His work was awe inspiring, and his digital illustrations were close to what I believed digital media to be all about.  Whilst looking at his work and similar artists, I regained some of my enthusiasm.  I struggled to come up with ideas, which inevitably led to me trying to replicate his style and approach.  Although I was happy with my attempts, I did feel underwhelmed by my work when comparing it to Campbell's original images.  What bothered me the most was I didn't know how to bridge the gap between the two.  I don't know what I needed to do to get to his level.  Aside from experience, of course.  But I feel there's a technical level I'm lacking or do not understand.  And that's burning a hole in my brain.

Digital art is important to me.  It's the wheelhouse I spend most of time in.  It's the area I want to focus on, to improve myself in.  And this taught me that I had a long way to go.  And that I shouldn't let up.  I believe I've come a long way over the course of this unit.  I've definitely learned a lot, about my own style and how I can improve.  But there's still so much I don't know.  If I was to do it all again, I'd simply pour more time into it.  I'm not going to shy away from the fact that during the course of this unit, I was more focused on outside elements, and that did affect my work.  But that aside, I don't know what I'd do differently.  I just want my work to be at a higher technical standard.  But I don't believe it's just experience.  I'm missing something.

I will never stop doing digital art.  Doing this unit has opened my eyes to certain things.  There's now subjects I need to look into and need to learn.  Campbell has posted some videos online of his work and how he makes them, and I expect I'll soon be going through them with a fine tooth comb, trying to learn his secrets.  This unit has helped me realise the areas I need to focus on, areas I was unaware even existed before. 

I had fun working on these pieces of work.  Which is honestly not something I can say for all the units we've done.  It has helped reaffirm for me that this is where I want to continue to work, and I know this is definitely a ladder I want to climb as high as I can.  With most of these units though, I regret not gaining this burst of enthusiasm earlier.  But I've spent too much of my life regretting not doing things.  Instead, I'm going to look forward.  At the things I want to learn.  At the works I may create in the future.  I never expected my work would reach the technical level it has.  I didn't believe I was skilled enough to reach even a low level of competency.  I've never been this enthusiastic about my own work before.

I've grown a lot as a person as an artist.  And for that I'm thankful to this unit and this course.  I'm more confident and eager than I've ever been.  And considering how I was a few years ago, saying that is a huge deal for me.

Onwards.