The Wrong Way To Choose An Art Medium

Art is emotional, so listen to your gut and instincts first. Let them guide your choice of medium rather than someone else’s recommendation. You want butterflies in your stomach when you approach the medium on the store shelves—admiration, curiosity, adoration. Because if you choose a medium your heart’s not drawn to, you won’t obsess over discovering it. That obsession is what produces your best work over time.

Questions to ask yourself instead:

Coming from both a traditional and digital illustration background, I’d recommend asking yourself this set of questions:

1. In an art museum or gallery exhibit, which medium(s) do you feel most drawn to? Which pieces pull you in and keep you standing there? Which pieces haunt you after the exhibits and why?
2. When you’re at an art store, which medium makes you stop and stand there reading every product on the shelf?
3. If someone said, “Hey, want me to show you a demo in this medium?”, which one would make you say YES in a heartbeat and clear your schedule for?

Conclusion

Don’t follow trends. It doesn’t matter what other people choose. You’re not them. If you pick a medium based on what other people recommend you choose or what’s popular, you’ll miss the opportunity to pour all your energy and curiosity into the medium that’s actually calling out to you. I’d even argue that it’s not us that chooses the medium—the medium chooses us.

So, if a medium keeps invading your mind, don’t ignore it. Pay attention. That’s your answer.

---