Ep 15: Brian Serway: Creative Practice and Making Bad Art
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Perfectionist in Recovery
Brian Serway: Creativity Practice and Making Bad Art
I shared a long conversation with one of my dear friends, Brian Serway. Brian is a fellow Appalachian artist and incredibly gifted illustrator. Check out his work on instagram! Here are some of the highlights from our conversation below.
About his own work as a professional illustrator:
“My work typically revolves around nature and animals, particularly about the Appalachian region in which we live. I come at it from the perspective of a snapshot in the darkness'.”
On his evolution as an artist and the struggles he has faced at different stages of his career.
“In the beginning, I had the resolution to just draw something every day… It was easy for me to get into that habit and that propelled me at first… as I started to get better and things started to work out (becoming a professional illustrator) I committed to do less things per week, but making sure they were things I was really proud of - which is also where my struggles with perfectionism started to come up.”
On the struggle he faces now as a professional:
Because I am only doing two illustrations per week now, “I will invest a lot of time, but then I will self-critique too much, or I won’t start something because I start thinking if I spend so much time on it and it’s not going to turn out how I think it will.”
On routine and rhythm:
When you get in the habit of drawing every day, it makes it so it doesn’t feel like a chore, it becomes as much part of your routine as brushing your teeth.
When I am not working on setting up for a show, I have a commitment to two illustrations per week and I will spend a hell of a lot of time on them - right now my rhythm is to release one on Tuesday and one on Friday.
On perfectionism:
“When I spend a hell of a lot of time on something and then when I finish, I just think, ‘Well, that looks like nothing.’ I try to avoid that feeling at all costs and I think to my detriment. Am I going to spend all that time and risk hating it, or am I just going to go for it and hope for the best. I struggle with that.”
On making bad art:
It’s never a waste of time, because you’re always learning.
“Allow for free form space where you just create and throw paint at the wall, literally, until something sticks.”
On spending time daydreaming and taking time to meditate:
“You’re never going to miss that time (daydreaming), we spend so much time on our phones, you’re never going to miss that time. Time optimization in allowing for that is important… I used to meditate every day for 20 minutes to an hour, and I don’t do that anymore, just because there is this subconscious part of my mind that thinks, ‘Oh, you don’t have to do it,” but the reason I think I don’t have to do it is because it is not perceived as productive, but it is! It is long term productivity as opposed to short-term productivity... Doing things for your mental health is productive.”
On fueling his creativity with other creative practices:
“I love gardening, and I love reading and consuming media (for inspiration)… and play video games and going on hikes - it’s all creative food…. but I do a lot of those things with the intention of getting inspiration… I have to build more things to do just for no reason.”
On how he incorporates play into his days and how that inspires him:
“Playing with my cats or being outside or doing things where my phone isn’t near me. I find my most creative peaks at those times. Spending time doing nothing and daydreaming are the intellectual goldmines.”
On making bad art:
The revelation that comes from making bad art that is out of your comfort zone is far more potent and exciting than doing the work that you know you are capable of.
On creating for the sake of creating:
The only reason I was able to start doing what I love full time was because I gave up on it. Because I got rid of the expectation of doing it professionally or expecting to make money off of it, I just put it out there and shared it freely.
And my last question for Brian…
“Do you journal?”
“No.”
Catch the full episode on the podcast! Thanks for being here everyone. Until next time.
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