Art Friends + The Inevitability of Tiktok

putting on pants for ~community~

This week, I had the immense pleasure of meeting Nishant Jain, a.k.a. The Sneaky Artist, for a morning of coffee, donuts, and urban sketching! I learned that we live in the same city after taking a workshop last week for which he was the featured artist. We met at a favourite coffee shop, sketched people, and chatted about our overlapping backgrounds as ex-academics, immigrants/children thereof, and aspiring published authors. Such a wonderfully soul-nourishing experience.

Our very different sketches of the same scene

I just moved into the next phase of writing my book, and with it came massive impostor syndrome and the feeling that what I’m doing will never be enough. After this visit, I realized that I probably feel this way because i spend all of my time alone inside my own head.

exactly like this

A single morning with a peer who is living this same life, and embracing it fully instead of wallowing in self-doubt, is exactly what I needed.

One thing we discussed was how working towards “goals” can be counterproductive because you’re essentially unhappy every moment before achieving the goal, and unhappy every moment after achieving it, until you achieve the next goal. The only way to survive the grind of creative work is the be content with every moment. Sounds trite, but I certainly needed the reminder.

We also talked about TikTok and video content. I know it’s a controversial issue - almost every artist I know, who isn’t already familiar with video content, is against it. Understandably so - we shouldn’t have to change our creative processes in order to continue to have a following, and I’ve been extremely demoralized by how little traction some of my recent Instagram posts have gotten. That said, I am moving towards choosing to see video content as a fun new creative challenge rather than something I should resist absolutely. My only rules are that I remember I’m not in it for followers (a sure path to sadness) and I am not letting it overtake my existing creative priorities.

I started posting cartoons on instagram for no one at all in 2013, and it led to a professional art career - so I’m just imagining what good things could potentially come if I let this new thing into my life, with no expectation or fear. (God, I sound old. I am so old.)

Anyway, I learned how to make Tiktoks this week, I’ve started scrolling and I’m ready to be a part of the Tiktok zeitgeist. Let me know your favourite Tiktokers (I love art, cooking and comedy) and/or your thoughts on TikTok. Also get outside and talk to people, it is good for you!

Zoe