Swirling Thoughts' Swirling Thoughts

Hello!

While I tried doodling here and there in my youth, I didn't formally start learning art until I was 27 years old. 27! I had lived as long as Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain had for their entire lives, creative output and all, and here I was like a newborn deer scrambling to get my footing in art!

I started this because it was a bit of a rough spot for me. I left my job as an engineer and had just started my PhD program, which was effectively a full-time job making just enough to cover groceries and my share of the rent, but not much else. Everything else - games, books (thank you public library), even taking a taxi - was considered extraneous. While I had commissioned art several times before then, suddenly I couldn't justify the cost. There were many artists out there whose art I adored and wanted to support, and I had lots of characters and things I wanted to see made real!

So, I picked up my pencil and an old sketchbook and I started drawing. Home late from class? I would cool down with some doodle practice. In the lab on a sunday waiting for an experiment to finish? That was a golden 30 minute window to draw. It was rough. Rougher than rough. Even though I had tried drawing before, I had no concept of anatomy, posing, layout, composition, color(!), or style. Yes, I would get frustrated ("why doesn't it look on the page like it looks in my head? Q~Q"), but I learned that 1) artists are very supportive, and my friends were happy to give advice and feedback as I grew, and 2) visualizing and creativity are a practiced skill! It takes time, but Idk if I can live without doing art. Its fun and I love the high you get when you look at something and go "I made that!!!" Even my old, rough art...sure I cringe at it, but its fun to revisit. Its something I made,

So why am I yelling about all this (again)? Because for some reason, here more so than the site with an actual ai bot built in, here right on tumblr I somehow end up seeing more ai generated crap everywhere. Maybe its a factor of community size. Or people in my niche just wanting more "content" to wallop their scallops too (I do get lots of hypno community stuff on my dash). Its disheartening and frankly just gross.

"But I wanted to create something to share with the community!" Pick up a pencil. Make a shitty photoshop meme. Write it out as a story. It's what weve been doing for literally decades now.

"But I tried art and it seems hard or I cant do it because xyz!" Look, Im a dumb bitch who never thought she had a creative bone in her body. If I can do it, so can you. And if art isn't for you? See the previous answer above. Or as we say in science, vide supra.

Tell them they did good

Remind them they didn’t hurt you and that you are mentally ok

If they did hurt you tell them how much you enjoyed it

Tell them you felt safe in your scene

Make sure they hydrate and refuel with a little snack if they need it

Thank them for fulfilling your desires

Cuddle them, pet them, hold them

If either of you safeworded discuss why you did so and how to prevent it from progressing that far in the future