How can you encourage experimentation and risk-taking in graphic arts?

Clearly articulate what you aim to achieve through experimentation, aligning with your values. This clarity provides a compass for your creative journey in graphic arts, fostering purpose-driven exploration.

Be honest with yourself, most people aren’t “artists” - seriously be HONEST, no one is looking. Most people are craftsmen - good at only one thing. An Artists is many disciplines together and combined - specially at the professional level this is highly true. Most artists are highly analytical, just visual. No different than an excellent producer. Having self-awareness results in the best works because you know your strengths, you know your weaknesses - no one is chasing you, you have to be honest - what are you saying? What are you doing? If it’s not moving people, if it doesn’t have anything to say? It’s not worth doing - every piece must be a statement regardless of time spent or skill set

Constantly immerse yourself in diverse sources of inspiration to fuel your creativity. Solicit feedback from peers and mentors, valuing different perspectives to refine and expand your experimental approaches.

Part of why - you have to be honest with yourself is this - you have to be your own main critic. How many times I thought I would finish a piece only to hate something about it the next day? Re-work it and never release it until it’s finished - this is why painters don’t show their work until the end. It has gone through the CALVARY that is your very own mind and taste. If need be you can absolutely have to NOT be proud and seek help - I constantly do this by not so much revealing what I’m doing but rather asking colleagues and experts about their inside (rigging - for example last week) You must be absolutely honest and feedback from others and yourself. You have to have brutal vulnerability regarding your work

Break out of your comfort zone by exploring various tools and techniques available in graphic arts. Experimentation with new methods opens up avenues for innovative expression and pushes boundaries.

This is the $7.50 an hour of being a real artist. The reason The Masters are who they were (Leo,Mikey, Donnie and Raph ??) - is because they had multi-disciplinary workflow, went AGAINST traditional thinking and constantly iterated and found new ways of expressing themselves, masterwork level on oils, charcoal, drafting - Leonardo cooked, made wine and invented the first plane ??- I mean this is why I cannot personally understand artists who are against A.I - because it’s just a tool that’s going to draw from your already wide experience. I constantly chat with painter friends like me - as ai allow us to see through our own sketches 17-50 compositions before I place the first stroke. Never be complacent - learn from the masters.

Embrace the inherent uncertainty of experimentation, viewing failure not as a setback but as a stepping stone to growth. Cultivate resilience and a mindset that celebrates learning from mistakes in graphic arts endeavors.

You have to be OK with failure - this is why the last part is spectacular (try new things). If 3D max can’t do it? Switch to Maya/Blender - if Unity is too slow? Switch to Unreal, and so on. Never be afraid to “fail” - failure is absolutely the way to go, as failure means growth - really. If you’re not failing, how can you know what works or not? How can you dismiss certain techniques as not time-sensitive? How can you recommend tools to others? You have to fail in a controlled way, you have to. Failure is crucial to success, and perseverance gets you there, it’s all part of the Combo. You will never get the skillsets to master something if you don’t fail - as failure creates imagination and perseverance assures success’s coming.

Consider the broader implications of your experimental graphic arts work, reflecting on its ethical and social dimensions. Responsible experimentation involves mindful consideration of the impact your creations may have on society.

Short of plagiarism - art has no morals. No loyalty No remorse and no ethics. We focus so much on these today - but how many artworks have been produced with illegal copies of software? Rendering those portfolios completely illegal and immoral - art has never cared, truly. Pictures of Mohammed or Jesus, and others can be immoral and unethical - and yet still be art Art has always been someone’s SoapBox - except the BOX has to be truly meaningful to be art, otherwise it’s merely a poor performance disguised as skill - nothing to say, no message. Plagiarism will exist- it’s reality. The full quote for example is: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, that MEDIOCRITY can pay to GREATNESS” Oscar Wilde said that.

Explore interdisciplinary connections, collaborate with diverse experts, and stay updated on emerging trends and technologies. Maintain a curious and adaptive mindset, continuously evolving your approach to experimentation in graphic arts.

Try to be honest - the greatest artists are the most self-aware. The most honest to THEMSELVES before anyone uttered a word. Be honest. To yourself. Always. Money and success will follow, if - and only if - you’ve never lied to yourself. “A man who works with his hands, is a laborer. A man who works with his hands and mind, is a craftsman. A man who works with his hands, mind, and his Heart ??? That - is the real artist” - St Francis Asisi.