Art Unboxed – Why Painting And Writing
When I started this series of posts over a year and a half ago I didn’t know it would result in the book Art Unboxed which has just been out for a few weeks now. My why for writing the book was that I wanted to explore art more myself and to encourage others to do so. Being more interested in representational art than I was abstract, I wanted to connect with others like me, people who were interested in art but were not art experts.
As a child I had the misconception that people who wrote books were walking encyclopedias on a subject. I was under the impression they had to know it like the back of their hand before they started typing. As a writer of several books now I can tell you, you become more knowledgeable in the writing of the book than you are at the beginning. The same is true of art, the more you do it, the more you learn.
After awhile I realized that there was material here which could help both a beginning or long term artist. My niece Brooklyn had been interested in art for years, and my niece Kenzie was starting to have an interest also. I thought I might be able to pass on a few things which could save her or other artists some time. I had been intimidated in the past by some videos and books on art that felt over my head, so my goal was to write something which was simple and very approachable.
It’s the same reason I wrote both Art Unboxed and the book Writing In Real Time – A Guide For Writers With Busy Lives. Each book, one on art and one on writing a book. I wanted to help others who had some of the same questions and challenges that I had faced. In art how to deal with color theory and tone, in writing how to deal with questions about getting started, plot, and other questions.
Art and writing are not difficult subjects to approach or to learn, they just take time, desire, and patience. Van Gough wasn’t Van Gough overnight, neither was Charles Dickens. I wanted someone else to realize “I can’t draw that yet” doesn’t mean “I can’t draw that at all”. Or “I don’t know how to start a book yet” doesn’t mean “I can’t start one at all”.
More importantly I wanted both artists and writers to know they could both start and finish a work. We know both from written records and digital analysis, most famous artists and authors edited their works, some extensively. They weren’t perfect with the first stroke of the brush or keystroke. Everyone learns over time, and learns by practice.
A first painting may not be ready for a museum, but it’s also not ready to be discarded. The same is true of a first attempt at writing. It’s my hope that either by reading the posts on PruittWrites.com, or by picking up one of our books at Amazon, these tools will help you in your pursuit of art and/or writing. Our mission statement for PruittWrites is “Adding value through words and pictures”, this isn’t just a slogan it’s our passion. We hope something we draw or write can inspire you to pursue your own art and/or writing goals.
