Just Do It!

Hello there dear readers.

My apologies for the late post, I've been moving houses and we haven't had access to the Internet until recently. But here I am now, so let's get straight to it!

Something that has been on my mind a lot this year has been the idea of determination. Determination is actually a difficult concept to define. Usually, having determination is seen a positive character trait, while being stubborn is seen as negative. To me, being determined means that once you have your mind set on a goal, you do everything in your power to make it happen, even if you have problems achieving it along the way. I see it as being so set on achieving your goal you would throw yourself into it to make it happen.

As some of you would know from my previous posts, last year was a difficult time in my life, and I not only lost my sense of self but also my sense of determination. This year, I managed to pull myself together to rebuild and renew my sense of self. I feel like this year I am more determined than I was before the troubles of last year, and that my ambition has returned with a vengeance.

I've found that determination isn't really a trait you're born with, but rather something that you teach yourself. It is something that can be learnt. and also nurtured. It also a skill that can be forgotten if not used.

Something I've noticed with a lot of people in my generation is the surprising lack of determination by a majority. People have no ambition, no drive to want to do better or push themselves,They've allowed themselves to grow comfortable with mediocrity, settle into a comfort zone of "average". And if they do perhaps decide to set a goal, one small hiccup and they give up.

I have no right to judge anyone about how they view their goals in life. I'm just surprised by how little ambition there seems to be. No determination to succeed or do better than the last time. And especially with people in their early twenties, in the prime of their lives.  Perhaps they are waiting for the devil of "tomorrow" to save them. The truth is, there is no tomorrow. The only time to make a difference is right now. But starting a million things and completing none of them is no use either.

Even if you dedicate your entire life to one project, if you finish that project at the end of your lifetime, I can almost guarantee a sense of happiness at having been determined enough to see it through right to the very end.

So here are some easy tips on how to ease determination into your life:

• Set small goals to start with. Say you want to read more often, don't say you'll read the entire Game of Thrones series in a week. You'll probably fail and sink back into the cycle of average. Rather say, I want to read at least 5 pages a day. 
• Set Goals that you know will make you happy. If you can imagine being ecstatic after completing a goal, and a goal that will improve your life, then you will be more determined to achieve it. 
• Ask for help. If you are struggling with being determined, ask your family and those closest to you to help you stay determined. Use role models to show you that all the work wont be for nothing.
• DON'T GIVE UP. This seems so simple but is at the core of determination. If you have a hiccup along the way, don't give up your entire goal because it temporarily became more difficult to achieve.
• Reward yourself for when you achieve your goals. 
• Your goals are not set in stone. If you feel like your goal isn't working for you, then change it.
• Surround yourself with determined people so that you have positive role models to follow.

Until we meet again 

Talia

An Art Supply Review: The Pen (Is Mightier Than The Sword)

Hi there dear readers! SO today I thought that I would try something new... A review of sorts. I use a lot of art supplies in my practice as an artist in the making, and one of my favourite tools of the trade is my trusty fineliner. But there are many different types of fine liners and they all have their advantages and annoyances. So here I will present to you my first Art Supply Review:

An Art Supply Review

The Pen (Is Mightier Than The Sword)

By Talia Naicker

So this is a small test page I have drawn up for this blog post to show the various kinds of pens I have tried out over the years. 

As you can see, I have tried out several different brands, and each has their own unique makeup, so it's important to try as many as you can so that you can see what actually works for the style of art you are interested in making.

FABER-CASTELL PITT ARTISTS PENS

So these are the Pitt Artist Pens, made by the trusted Faber-Castell. As you can see, I have only used the Script Size Pen, and so my experience with this particular pen is quite limited. From what I can tell, it leaves a crisp clean line and has a beautiful opaque black ink. My only downside with this particular range of pens is the limited nib sizes, as compared to other brands. These are also fairly pricey though they are a great all-round use pen for artists.

SAKURA MICROPERM

These are the Sakura Microperm Pens. I will admit I bought these pens online as they were not available from the stores in my area. These are definitely not my favourite pens for drawing or writing use, as I find they have an annoying tendency to bleed through papers I could easily use with other pens. They also leave a blurred line as opposed to the crisp lines I am looking for in my drawings. There are also only 3 sizes, which I find quite limiting. Although this pen might not suit my needs, I could easily see the benefit for a more sketchy and fluid drawing style.

STAEDTLER PIGMENT LINER

These are the Staedtler Pigment Liners. I have only tried the smallest size available, the 0.05mm, as this was the size that was particularly difficult to come across in most art stores in my local area. Judging by the use of the 0.05mm, I quite like the look and feel of this pen. I have always been a fan of the Staedtler Products for fine art use and these pens are definitely a winner. I will make a point of giving the other sizes a go at some point.

UNIPIN FINE LINERS

These are my absolute favourite pens to work with for both sketching, writing and drawing. I love these pens and have been using them for years now. I find the range of sizes just perfect to work with for just about any subject matter, especially for the type of typographic drawings I like to work with. I have a set of these in my art kit, in my handbag, in my varsity bag and a bunch of extras. I find that these are quite budget friendly compared to other pens on the market, and last for an incredibly long time even if used frequently. The 0.05mm tip is also a bit more durable than other tips and can be handled with more ease than other pens I have used.

PIGMA MICRON LINERS

I have only recently invested in these pens, but from the experimenting I've done, they seem to have as much to offer as the unipin pens. There is also the added Graphic Range and each size is available in a Sepia colour as well as a black. I think that these are a slightly more expensive alternative to the unipins but an all-rounder nonetheless

COPIC MULTILINER SET B2

These are the non-aluminium cased multiliners made by Copic. These pens are absolutely stunning and have an amazingly tiny 0.03mm tip, which is a size I have not seen offered by another brand. They are sturdy and the plastic cased ones are significantly cheaper than their aluminium counterparts. However, I found that after a month of not using them, they dried up a little bit, but quickly flowed when scribbled with gently. These pens are made for constant use.

So dear readers, I hope you will find some aspect of this review useful in some way. I know that for now, Unipins are definitely my go to art supply for drawing in ink!

Until we meet again

Talia

Cutting Back the Clutter

And so dear readers, we are hurtling towards the end of the year at a rapid, ever-increasing pace! The last quarter of the year is upon as and for once I've actually achieved some of my New Year's resolutions! So today, seeing as I have no new work to share at the moment, I thought I would talk about something that has been inspiring me for the last few weeks...

I'm talking about minimalism!

Now I am in no way calling myself a minimalist because that would be an insult to minimalists everywhere! But I will say that I am really inspired by the minimalist movement. What is minimalism you ask? Well minimalism is essentially, living with less stuff.

GASP!

"How could I ever survive without my collection of *insert precious item here*?!". See that's the beauty of minimalism. It isn't about living with just one crappy shirt or whatever item you thought of first, minimalism is about having less stuff... but better stuff. So imagine, instead of having 20 shirts where you only really love 5 and wear them often and the other 15 don't fit properly, you only have those 5 that you love and make you feel good about yourself! Now take that principle and apply it to... well everything you own!

I think most of us can admit to being the victims of consumerism and having way too much stuff that we really don't need. I know one of the biggest (or smallest) tips from the minimalists is to move from paper to digital. I'll admit this is one area of minimalism I can't handle. I need to take hand written notes and have something to write on or everything will disappear from my brain! But you can choose to recycle paper you don't need and toss stuff that really doesn't make a difference to you, like those pesky flyers that get put under the windshield wiper of your car.

I think the challenge for me with minimalism is that, as an art student and hopefully a budding artist, I can't live with the bare minimum of art supplies... because everything gets more expensive the longer you don't buy the supplies you need. There are a couple of things I can't really minimise in my life... But I can make sure that I don't overboard with it. I've found that having less stuff really does make your life so much easier.

So to conclude my thoughts on minimalism so far, here are a few tips I can give you to use a little minimalist magic in your life without getting rid of a lot of stuff immediately:

1. Delete apps that you downloaded on your tablet/phone/PC that turned out to be a waste of time. Not only will you have less clutter on your phone, but you'll probably free up some space for that next Instagram photo or two!
2. Throw away trash as soon as you make it. So if you eat a packet of crisps, throw away the packet as soon as you're done with it. Don't let it accumulate into a makeshift bin. 
3. Don't just buy stuff because it's on sale. Figure out if you're just buying it because it's "such a BARGAIN!" or if you actually need it
4. Give old clothes you don't even like anymore to charity. Someone will put it to good use, and not only are you helping someone in need, but you're minimising your clutter too!
5. Keep your bed as a bed and not half a shelf. I have a bad habit of doing this with clothes, but keeping your bed clutter free looks so much better than having to look at that pile of stuff every time you go to bed or wake up.

And so dear readers, that's my bit on minimalism for now. Stay clutter free and focused this week.

Until we meet again

Talia

Pondering Some Silver Linings

"Research Break". 

So my dear readers, these last few months have probably been the WORST track record so far of keeping my blog up to date and I apologise to everyone who makes the effort of reading my blog post each time I post.

So this week, from the 5th of September to the 13th of September, varsity gives us what is known as the research break, which is essentially the midterm break that divides a semester into two pieces. Logically, a research break could be considered as a... well... a Break from research! But guess what (this goes out to all you high schoolers who can't wait to start varsity, and even more so if you want to study ART), the research break has been designed to...

Make you take a break from class to research more stuff.

For example, this first half of the semester has been absolutely exhausting. There have been deadlines almost every single week that involve lots of hours to produce a work that actually ends up being mediocre as opposed to great. But we push on and get it done, because what else are we supposed to do? Seems like more research crammed into one week is a good idea...

But I'm an optimist at heart and I always like to believe that there is a good side to this situation. SO let me share with you my silver linings of things I've learnt how to do (that are of course art and varsity related) this block:

1. How to use the Adobe Premier Suite (and edit in a professional way)
2. How to make a 'zine (mini book or publication)
3. How to make organized study notes without wasting time on the organizing bits
4. How to make and use silkscreens....

And most excitingly...

    5. How to make a stop motion animation (which you can check out here)

I'm afraid to say I'm still busy as ever, but at least I can spend some quality time with the people I care about this week as well as getting stuff done. And at last I have time to share with the people who I will create memories with that I will cherish. Remember that success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with.

Until we meet again
Talia

A 25 Hour Day

And so dear readers, yet another week has passed and we are now in mid-August already! Unfortunately I don't have any new work to post because varsity has been so busy lately! But that's okay, even when not much physical art is being made, there is still a lot that I am learning every day. I wish that sleep was not such a physical necessity, because just imagine the possibilities available with all those extra hours...

The truth is... You don't need to give up sleep to get those extra hours. My mom always tells me off with one of her favourite sayings: "Work smart, Not hard". While I think she makes an excellent point, I think that a perfect balance of the two is the way to get all your stuff done in a time-saving and performance-improving way. For me, sometimes I intentionally make my life more difficult by working hard and not smart. I tend to do these with the little things... Like being a little too thorough in my jewellery organization or socks drawer... Or especially with colour coding. Yes I'm that OCD person who can match colours like a pro... But when it comes to getting everything done in the most effective and least stressful way possible... I tend to fall short.

I find that a lot of time is wasted in what I like to call "The In-Between Vacuums"... These are the times in between all your scheduled or routine stuff, like the time in-between classes, wasted on Instagram whilst waiting for someone and especially travel time.

Obviously there's not much you can do whilst travelling, but you can find ways to minimise your travel time and stress levels from the urban decay of rush hour traffic. For me, it means waking up 15 minutes earlier than I would like to and taking a slightly longer route... that saves me 30-45 minutes travel time. It's definitely worth it!

Another time vacuum that really wastes a lot of time is spending that half an hour between lectures chatting when you can multitask. What I like to do is head straight to the next venue after my class, sit in the next classroom, work a little bit or revise the previous class's notes, eat something and be on time.

I find that a huge time vacuum is shoddy organizing (or a lack of organizing entirely!). I know that I get EXTREMELY frustrated when I can't find my notes for a subject or a reading because I forgot to file it. That's why I avoid the risk altogether. I keep a handy-dandy pocket punch in my bag, date any pieces of paper I receive that day and file it immediately. It is really annoying trying to stay on top of things when you can't find your assignment brief or the notes you've made that could really REALLY help you in your essay. I think keeping your life organised is probably one of the best time savers out there. You don't even need a calendar or a diary, there are so many apps out there that there really isn't an excuse to not know what's going on.

Being organised isn't a bad thing, if it saves YOU time and stress, then why not make the change?  Ditch those time vacuums and you will have enough "extra" time to get all those pesky things on your Perpetual To Do list done!

Until we meet again
Talia

Colour-Coding My Way to Productivity

So dear readers, I know it has been two weeks without a post. I do apologise profusely, I blame faulty printer cables and fried laptops. But anyhow, we are now in August everyone! so that means there is officially only one third of the year left... and I still feel like I've accomplished so little art wise!

So I've been having a series of epiphanies over the last few months. They haven't been directly related to my art or my work at varsity but rather to my personal life, but they've helped me figure out some neat little tricks and tips to help me out (and looking up life hacks on Pinterest isn't a bad idea either!). So dear readers today I thought I would share my little tips and tricks to make your planning life a little easier, so you can fit in all the things that are important to you.

I personally have an awful memory, and unless I write down what I'm supposed to do... well most of the time it won't get done or it will be a half-hearted job... So I have a diary and lots of coloured pens and matching Post-Its. My personal code is this:
Turquoise = Fine Art/Video Art
Lime Green = History of Art
Orange = Design & Drawing/Book-Binding
Yellow = French
Oxblood = Relationship and Personal Life

This is how I colour code my diary, which is super tiny. I also update my calendar as well as my MyStudyLife App to remind me about tasks that need to be done. I also try to distribute my work out a bit better so that I can spend more time spread out over a few days and really get into the work rather than rushing it and messing it up completely.

Another useful thing I've found is prioritising my To-Do list before I start completing anything, because I find I tend to do all the little easy things first when I have the most energy and then I wonder why I have no energy left for all the important things on the list... which can be problematic at best. So I draw a square next to each To-Do Item:

Big Square = Most Important (as in get off your lazy butt and get this done!)
Medium Square = So So, would be useful to get done today
Little Square = Annoying but useful task, not a train smash if it doesn't get done today

So this is just a small part of my organising tips that should help you to get everything done in time and get it done well. I hope maybe it helps you just a tiny bit!

Until we meet again 
Talia