An Internet Of Art

I've been drawing since I was in elementary school.  I'll be 26 in a little over a week, so that would make it approximately 14 years of drawing in one form or another.  I have many of my old works, but not all.

In the modern world, the internet is more accessible than ever before.  There are still many places that don't have access to it, of course, but most people who want it can find a way to it.  Restaurants, hotels, cafes, and fast food places commonly offer it as a freebie for their customers.  

It's with that in mind that I wonder how my artistic evolution might've diverged had I had the kind of access to the internet when I was young and more impressionable than I am today.  Today, young artists need only go to Google to find much of what they're looking for.

The internet was around when I was younger, but I didn't have a computer to access it (I wouldn't own my first computer until 2005).  I used to visit the library and surf the net any chance I had.  When it came to learning more about doing art, my main resources were whatever books I had.

Computers have dropped a lot in price over the years and the internet is now no longer restricted to just computers.  If you have a phone, a modern gaming system, a tablet, or even a special TV, you can access the internet.  For aspiring artists in today's age, all the information they need is just a click away.

I think that websites like deviantART are great resources for artists, no matter how advanced or how new they are to the field.  It's what I like to call the ultimate "bigger fish" syndrome.  All artists can always find someone who does their craft with more and with less skill.  And that kind of perspective can help on the evolutionary scale.

I see many works by many different artists every day.  Hundreds upon hundreds.  Most of them, I just click through.  Not enough time in the day to go through and manually look at each and every one.  But from time to time, I'll see something that stands out to me, either something that I feel is more skillful than my works or something that I think can be really good with a little guidance.

My art hasn't yet reached the level I think it should be at, but I still think that I can do some pretty great stuff at times.  And on occasion, I will take the time to share some of what I've learned over the years with those who want the help or those who just want a different perspective.  Because once upon a time, I too was just an artist who wanted to be noticed...