People are forgetful beings. Sometimes we forget how far we have come until we look back on the past.
It’s been 11 months since I followed my calling to become an artist. This post is about my new venture in the art world and what I need to do in order to stay in the game.
A dancer is a person who dances, a writer is a person who writes. An artist is a person who creates artworks. Our claim to be someone is only believable when we have experience under our belt to support it.
To embrace a new sense of identity, it’s no less than building up a portfolio of work to show to the viewer. As a late bloomer on the scene, if I want to master my craft and make a name for myself in the next 5 to 10 years, I must now be willing and ready to hit the ground running.
For me, art is a lifestyle, a way of living. It takes time to cultivate the techniques and become proficient at it. Practice makes perfect. When I go back to review some of my earlier drawings and compare them with the recent ones, I can see a marked difference in those strokes. That is, if you keep a record of all works past and present, gradually it will turn into your guidepost for improvement. It will speak for itself.
Game on! In December 2021 I stumbled across a London based Derwent Art Prize and decided to give it a go. I thought why not, it’d be a great opportunity to put myself out there and make a mark. By entering an art competition like this, it symbolises and validates my newly reinvented status as an artist.
And? Among a record number of 6126 entries received, did I get the nod from the judges? No, unsurprisingly, but I felt like a winner already the moment I submitted my work.
What’s on? The next one on my radar is The Lester Prize based in Western Australia. Mark the date 17 June 2022. Here I come!
As this post draws to a close, you probably can’t guess I’ve indulged in three days of writing about my artist’s journey so far, but now it’s time to return to my man cave and start creating my next masterpiece…
Ted Tsai 