Or are people simply better at one than the other? Okay, that might sound like a stupid question, and it may well turn out to be so, but stay with me. First off let me establish I'm not suggesting there's any real merit in either my paintings and/or writing, but what I can say with absolute conviction is that I'm far more likely to be 'pleased' or maybe even proud of one of my paintings than I am any of my writing. But I wonder why this is. I've had no formal training in either, and can't say I prefer one to the other, but I can't help but think the reason is that I simply find painting easier. And yes, a greater skill in one area naturally means the person will find that particular discipline 'easier', but I don't really excel in either, and I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if I was brilliant at one and crap at the other, then I wouldn't be pondering this question. I'm just less crap at painting than I am writing, but is that because painting is easier? I don't really know what it is I'm asking. I think I'm just thinking out loud if I'm honest, and that's not wise.
Painting certainly wouldn't be easier for me. I've spent my life immersed in the written word; in the same time, I've... seen some pretty pictures, I guess? I don't know the first thing about painting, I don't WANT to know about painting, I don't really care about painting... I would find painting very difficult. That aside... possibly it's more difficult to be flat-out wrong in painting? Does painting have the equivalent of grammar/style rules? Like, is there a painterly equivalent of a pronoun referring to the wrong antecedent? Is it easier to be critical of writing, since we can pretty much all read and understand language but maybe can't all "read" and understand paintings?
Yeah, it was a stupid question as I suspected. These musings pop into my head from time to time, and sometimes, probably foolishly, I air them. Move along, nothing to see here.
I have wondered many time if I should quit painting and just write, or quit writing and just paint, but I could never decide. I get urges to write and I get urges to paint. I like to do both, but when I'm disgusted with one, I can turn to the other. I'm not sure if there is one I find easier to do. It's like kayaking vs snowshoeing; I love both, yet they work different sets of muscles. I think the end result of a painting easier to judge because you can take it all in one glance. As for a book... we all know that it can't be judged by its cover. Maybe a painting is "read" emotionally rather than intellectually? Either way, each time I re-read my writing, I find something to edit and when I look at my finished and signed paintings, I find details I could have done better.
I started my university career as an Art major (before switching to an English major), and drawing and painting is something I've done for a large portion of my life. However, it is completely different from writing. It uses a different process in my brain. For example, I can listen to just about any kind of music and work on a drawing or painting. I don't mind if people talk to me while I'm doing artwork. I can get engrossed in it, of course, but if I walk away from it for some reason, I can easily pick up again from where I left off. If I had a studio, I'd probably do a lot more of it now, because I COULD just leave it and walk away. (When you live in a house and have to work on the dining room table, that means you have to clean up after each session, which is a tad annoying....) However pleasurable art has been for me, though, it never compared to how much fun I have writing. But when I'm writing, I need total peace and quiet. Not only when actually writing, but also when thinking about or envisioning my story. I can listen to certain kinds of music when I'm thinking about writing ...stuff that pertains in some way to the story. I can listen to deep background classical music while I actually write, but nothing with any lyrics or catchy tunes, and nothing with a lot of sound variation either. And while I CAN write with that sort of music on, I prefer silence. I only put music on to drown out other distractions. And if somebody starts yakking at me, that's it. Writing session over. My working method for art and music are totally different. I also find it easy to give my drawings and paintings away, once they're finished, but I would never want to lose my writing. (By lose, I mean screwy backups, a fire, etc.) I would feel as if a part of me had died. It's interesting that I more or less self-taught myself to paint and draw, and also self-taught myself to write. Of course I've refined techniques and learned from others as well, over the years, but in both cases I did the bulk of the learning/teaching cycle myself. Is one easier than the other? I never thought of it that way. Just ...different. Very.
Just from my personal experience I say painting is easier. you have to consider the type of paint and canvass you are using, but if you are talking about drawing, digital or otherwise, than that is even easier. Writing a book is probably the hardest thing I've ever tried to do. I never spent so much time trying to learn something and never actually knew if I was getting anywhere. It's kind of frustrating. It's not a problem you would have picking up an instrument or a new hobby. For writing, the learning curve is incredibly steep to anything normal like, chess. you can pick up the rules and start playing games, and with a little talent you can be really good really quickly. even if you aren't talented you can apply yourself and learn to play well anyway. But with writing, you can live in a language your entire life and never find the skills necessary to write and tell a story well. you don't have to pick up a pencil and draw, and sometimes you do, but eventually do it enough, and you'll be good. I think writing is a betrayal in this respect, because even the best novelist write bad books that people don't read. when the publisher's hit to failure ratio is 1 in 10, you know you aren't getting into a something that anybody has any idea to do right. Because if they did, then we would see a giant spike in ratio between good and bad books. Personally I think finishing a book is much harder than finishing a set of paintings, which simply require me to focus and apply what I know. But with writing, sometimes I get stuck and have to think for a long time on how to resolve certain ideas, and often requires me to go and do research to get that part done. and then you write until it happens again, rinse and repeat until your book is completed. I don't remember ever having to go through such a rigorous process with anything I paint.
Compare like with like. Don't compare one canvas to a whole novel. What's harder, writing a book to pro standard or painting someone else's graphic novel to pro standard. There's alot more of the former than the latter about. That answers which is easier.
How do you guys know when what you've painted is "good"? Like, is there an external authority or standard, or is it just based on whether you're personally satisfied with it?
The latter. I don't think I ever used the word 'good' in any of my posts here, but if I did I simply meant I'm more likely to be satisfied with my art than I am my writing.
just comparing it to things that you think are good. I have a few artist I look up to and strive to get similar styles or effect. it's a lot easier than comparing your book to books and writers you enjoy. Maybe it's just the way my brain works, but in a painting everything is right there to be learned by studying the painting itself. Almost like the artist secrets are completely out in the open. where as in writing, it is a lot less clear to see why your writing doesn't compare to your favorite writer and what you need to change to make it closer to your own aspirations.
Firstly, no. It's not a stupid question. All my formal training is in art. That said, I taught myself to write and to play the guitar. Okay, I did have a bit of formal training in acting and singing, but not enough to make anyone get excited about hiring me to do those things. I keep going from one to another and have done for most of my life. The one you (speaking in the general, 'you') put the most time into will be the one you're best at (naturally) which means I likely won't get to be a master of any of them because I have a low frustration/boredom tolerance... or something. But as for easy? Or easier or easiest? I'm not sure there is such a beast. Anything creative I do eventually becomes work. Sometimes I tough it out and sometimes I don't. But I get where you're coming from. So, let's go to the other extreme... The hardest thing for me to do is put myself emotionally into my work. Unfortunately, that also seems to be the only thing that really impresses people. I've managed it only a few times in my life, the most memorable being the time I played a reclusive cannibal in an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Picture in the House (I'd include a link, but the producer hasn't provided one for the public yet). After playing out one very long scene (done all in one take) the director quietly said, "Cut" and the crew—who were in the habit of jumping immediately into motion setting up for the next shot or take or whatever—sat in mesmerized silence. Someone off in a corner whispered, "Wow." It was the highest praise I could ever have asked for and it was one of the best moments of my life. But as I said, those moments are few and they come only when I put every bit of my emotional self into whatever it is I'm doing (the hard part I spoke of earlier). The rest of the time, I just do whatever comes to hand and hope I can find and hit that mark again.
Not at all. I can imagine great art in my head, but give me paint and brush and my 6 year old son can do better than what I produce. I just work better with words. Always have. My biggest problem with writing is, once I'm on track, getting my brain to slow down. Most of my editing is going in and filling in things like setting and description.
Hmmm depends on the person of course~! ^-^ I personally find painting to be easier than writing simply cause I've been painting a LOT longer than creative writing which I'm not sure if I'm decent at just yet~!! ^.^
