The one habit that changed everything in my art.

No one talks about this enough. 

The one habit that changed everything in my art was studying art history intentionally.

This was something that started in childhood: being taught the difference between de Kooning and Kline, the period of Picasso’s life through paintings, and seeing how Dadaism shaped the Surrealist movement. 

I had a very enriching experience with art during my childhood, and my interest in art history only deepened with the years. Later, delving into Baroque art history while simultaneously exploring black and white painting was an enlightening experience, and I was able to apply my newfound knowledge of chiaroscuro to my paintings, learn how to use value dramatically, and most importantly, begin involving complicated narratives in my work. 

Studying art history in a way that wasn’t just total blind intake of information and regurgitation, but rather, a process of give and take, was something that followed me well after college years.

I find that having a versatile knowledge of art history brings with it both a more satisfactory understanding and appreciation of others’ art, as well as a deeper comprehension of your own art. Seeing art through the ages gives me a perspective that is colored by the voices and opinions of so many other artists before me. All art is derivative, and knowing this to be true only leads to art that digs deep and uses the nature of this statement to create something new through synthesis.

A good foundation of art history knowledge will give you a broader outlook while giving you a more intense focus on your own work. It’ll give you a heightened understanding of art and film. And most importantly, it’ll guide the work you make to be more intentional.