Ty, the Rambling ArtistThe art of making drawing smiles and making connections, anywhere in the world.
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“How did you learn how to draw?” “You’re so talented” “I wish I was creative”. I have heard some iteration of these statements over and over and over again since I first began drawing caricatures at the age of 15. And my answer to these questions and compliments is usually something like, “Everybody is creative” or even the more daring “Everyone can draw” People at this point usually give me a sideways glance and chuckle - or even roll their eyes in disbelief. “I can not draw” is a standard response, at which point the topic is usually changed to something less uncomfortable for them, (I LOVE talking about how everyone can draw). The thing that I’ve noticed through the years is that I rarely have these conversations with kids. You know why? Because most kids know that this is true. Most kids know that they are inherently creative. Most kids know that they can draw. And when you were a kid, you knew this too. We’re all born with the ability to create and we’re all born with the ability to draw or sculpt or paint. At a young age, these things are usually encouraged. Parents buy their little ones easels and finger paints and crayons. These are staples of childhood - and almost all of us used them on a regular basis. And yet, somewhere along the way, most adults “unlearn” how to draw. Maybe it’s when, in school, the priority of math and science begins to top creativity. Maybe it’s when our parents start to deem that it’s time for us to put away “childish things” but at some point, most people stop using those crayons or that play dough or the finger paints. At some point, we stop getting the warm fuzzy affirmation for our creative endeavors and we then begin the process of unlearning how to be creative. We’re molded into the expectation of what a successful person looks like in today’s world. Smart, cunning, logical, responsible, hard-working and ladder-climbing - and sadly, it seems that our culture has made these attributes and creativity or artistic ability mutually exclusive. At some point “being an artist” becomes a criticism more than a compliment and this is done to the detriment of our society.
When I first met my wife, back in the fall of 1994, I was working exclusively as a caricaturist. In fact, had it not been for caricaturing, it’s entirely possible that I wouldn’t have met her at all- as at one time, she was simply a smile to be drawn who sat in my chair. My wife would tell you that she had always been attracted to the artists, musicians and other creative types. But the difference with me was that this was my life (not just a college hobby) and that from the first moment we met, we were serious. As we went through those early stages of dating and met each others families and friends, I became keenly aware of those in her life who weren’t thrilled that she had fallen in love with a professional artist. One of her ex-boyfriend’s mothers even had the gall to outwardly express her disbelief that Crystal was marrying a “street artist” (presumably instead of her son). Thankfully, my wife knew something that so many others had unlearned - that being creative was an attribute - not a defect. With creativity comes a great passion for life, an ability to see value in things that others may not, the courage to frame your world and to be different - to stand out - to express emotion and vulnerability. And yet, these are things that begin to be weeded out of our consciousness at a fairly early age. We go from our parents proudly posting our scribblings on the refrigerator to encouraging us to strive for conventional success. We go from proudly wanting to choose what we wear to wanting to look like everyone else. We go from a need to express ourselves to a need to fit in. Fitting in is not necessarily a bad thing but it shouldn’t have to happen at the detriment of one’s creativity. So if it’s commonly accepted that most of us tend to “lose” our creative abilities and artistic talents, how is it that I can confidently tell each and every person who sits in my chair “Everybody IS creative”? That’s simple. It’s because everybody IS - not everybody WAS. Creativity is innate, it’s in our souls. It may get stifled but it never disappears. People need to be creative and, much like nature, creativity will find a way. It will leak out - but the process of trying to keep it in (and SO many people try) just creates misery. As you can imagine, I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, my life at home was not always easy. My parents divorced when I was young and I was often left on my own. No one was there to stifle my creativity or to make me think that drawing was a waste of time. In fact, in my teens I was shipped off to East Texas to live with a friend of my dad’s, who was a brilliant painter. He encouraged my artistic abilities and gave me a love of watercolor that I still have today. But when it came time for college and my parents were responsible for paying for my education, my dad told me that he would absolutely not pay for me to waste my time getting a degree in art. I was going to major in business, or he was not paying for school. So I went off to Tulane - majoring in Marketing and, as you can imagine, I failed. It wasn’t that I was able to handle college, it was that I was not pursuing my passion, my true self and I was much more interested in drawing caricatures in Jackson Square than I was studying statistics or accounting. Later in life, I would go back to school on my own terms, studying art and those classes and professors and lessons still impact me to this day. I’m not saying that no one should major in business or accounting - heaven knows we need people for whom numbers are a passion to keep the rest of us organized, but I’m saying that passions can’t be forced. Pursue what you LOVE. Allow your children to pursue what they love and we will all be happier, more successful and creativity will make a comeback. Once upon a time, my wife would have told you that she is not creative. She loved creativity, she craved creativity but she thought she couldn’t draw - so therefore she was not creative. And yet, creativity would pour out of my wife on a daily basis. She can plan fantastic events, she can write, she can cook, she loves art and photography, she gets design. But because the SKILL of drawing or painting or playing an instrument was not something she had developed, she assumed, wrongly, that she was not creative. How many of you who think that you’re “not creative” enjoy crafting or scrapbooking, or pouring through Pinterest and making a mental list of the things you’d like to try? Creativity. Thats what that is… and it’s calling out for a more prominent seat at the table of your life. So let’s get past this mis-held idea that you are not creative or you are not artistic or you can not draw, because it is truly my belief that eliminating this hurdle opens us up to all sorts of possibilities in life. It frees us to explore who we truly are and what we truly want. There is a conventional wisdom that says, “If you want to be successful, find something you love and find a way to make money doing it” That’s great advice but so many of us have reworded this in our head to “Find something you’re good at and find a way to make money doing it”. The bad news here is that we all have things that we are good at that we don’t necessarily love. You may be great at balancing books - but accounting doesn’t fill your soul. You may be great at typing but data entry just isn’t for you. Don’t mistake passion for ability. Do they often go hand in hand? Yes! But they may not necessarily be one in the same and the mistake of thinking this could have a huge negative impact on your life. We all need to find our passion - what really fills our souls and then we need to let those passions spill over so that we can positively impact the lives of those around us. I’ve been fortunate enough to do this but the road hasn’t been easy. After my wife and I married, I quickly switched into “family mode”. I needed a “real job” (yes, I fell into the “real job” trap, too) and a steady income with insurance and benefits. Those things are very important, when starting a family. I would never say that they weren’t. I took a job quickly working as an art director for a local newspaper. The job provided those things that I needed and there were things about it that I truly loved. I loved the people I worked with, I loved the clients I was able to work with. I got many opportunities to explore the arts in my city, which I also loved. What I wasn’t as crazy about was the drab office environment, the hours spent alone in my cubicle, surrounded by concrete cinderblocks and grey paint. And I really didn’t love creating newspaper ads. That didn’t fulfill me in any way, shape or form. I needed to connect with people. I needed those relationships, and thankfully, I was still drawing caricatures at parties and still had that outlet that truly gave me joy. Was I good at advertising? Sure. Did I love it? No. I would spend the next decade or so in the advertising world - loving some aspects of it such as the collaboration with a team, the photo shoots and the drive to create but I would always feel stifled by the corporate environment, the cubicles, the red tape of corporate hierarchy. Those things drained me and if I wanted to be my best self, I needed to find a way to escape. So maybe you are already doing what you love. If so, keep doing it, explore, find the creativity inside of you, figure out how you can use your creativity and passions to bring joy to other’s lives. Success will find you. It may not be all monetary success but it will be personal success, validation, peace. There is a great peace that comes from doing what you love and using it to inspire others. And if you’re not already doing what you love? It’s not too late. Finding your passions is a process - learning to leverage them into a life you love takes even more time. Give yourself permission to explore, allow yourself time to adjust. This is a journey that we’re on - and it comes more quickly for some than for others. And if you are doing what you love but don’t have room for creativity in your job, then I’d ask you to be open to changing those thoughts. People working in a company who are not only allowed, but encouraged to be creative are happier, more productive and your business will reap the rewards of new ideas, inspired thought and progress. These days, I spend my time, not only drawing smiles, but showing businesses how they can encourage creativity to better solve problems and achieve success and it’s perhaps the most rewarding work I’ve every done. Stay with me, be creative, let’s change the world.
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From Ty Walls:After four decades drawing smiles I often encounter remarkable people. I've learned to create little special moments for people from all around the world with my simple smile-drawing skills. But sometimes, life creates little magical moments for me. This blog is my attempt to share them with you. Archives
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