[Discussion] What inspired you to start art as a hobby or become an artist?

[Coru]

What was your main drive that created your passion art? Was it a person, an event or did you just find out you were good and carried through with it?

Strangely, when I was younger, I hated art and I was absolutely terrible but after sticking to it for a few years, it ended up being on of the things I like most.At first I had no talent and I didn't know what was good and bad. However, when I was about 7. I started going to a holiday club during a school holiday for 5-13 year olds and stayed there until I was 12. One of the members of staff there was a really big fan of manga and I used to really look up to her as she was like a best friend. She loved reptiles so we used to talk about my pet snake, she liked manga and anime and she always had really interesting stories. She was very spiritual so I guess she is the reason I am so open minded too.

Anyway, she got us to draw sometimes and she helped us improve and soon I found out that I started to enjoy it and I was picking it up quite quickly. I would always ask her how to improve and I was always trying to perfect my work. When she left the holiday club, I was gutted. It was like I lost a part of me as I got really close to her, but I continued to improve my work, hoping that if she ever came back, I could show her how I have improved. Sadly she didn't come back and I left the holiday club when I was 13, but I still try to improve as it is now my aspiration to continue with art as a job as a graphic designer/artist.

I started out being rubbish and now I am being told I am talented in art and I think I am ok, so I guess it just took one person to inspire me to dig deep and find the artistic talent I had inside myself, and I am grateful that it happened as I would probably have not come to pokestadium, which then lead me here and it wouldn't have helped me find my dream job.

So, is there anyone that inspired you to find your inner artist or was it something else?

[Saraibre Ryu]

Perfectionism... and being really really really reaaaaaaaaaaally stubborn.

I wanted my drawings to look a certain way and if it wasn't perfect in my eyes, I did it over and over and over again. Also the lack of internet may have helped but who knows.

Anyway, I'd practice the tiniest of things, and when I got say a hand gesture right or a certain pose, I'd draw over and over again, each on a brand new piece of paper. I wanted to be good at drawing, I wanted what was in my head to come out on paper. I wanted to share these things with the world because I'm not as good at wording as some people think.

[Braixen]

I honestly don't remember a time that I didn't draw, or wasn't noted for being artistic. I was always the "creative kid" in grade school, and such. I wasn't very artsy for about 4 years since my social life and schooling came first, but about a year ago I got back into it and have been working on becoming a better digital artist. It's been a fun journey so far, and I am super excited to see where I can take it. Art has always been a hobby of mine, and to some extent it always will.

[DarkNerd]

The birth of my artistic endeavors and my love of Pokemon stem from the same cell.
'Twas a night before Christmas, wait no...
'Twas a day over a decade ago,
My cousin told me he had something to show
'Twas a game, and handheld too!
The graphics in those days were hard to chew
But when he booted that screen, my life began anew
I saw beautiful colors and actual things
Sprites that resembled people, I thought it cost a lot of bling
But little was I ready
For when the screen went steady
A creature appeared
My brain completely seared.
'Twas a Ghaslty, you see
I fell in love instantly.
The wonderful sprites were glorious
But the methods to make it were rather mysterious.
And thus I picked up a pencil and paper
And began to draw.

Then I eventually learned to made sprites and stuff just kept going until I got to where I am today.

[VeloJello]

I've been drawing and writing since I was little - shoot, I remember being furious with another kid in my kindergarten class who could color inside the lines when I couldn't - so I've always been a ~creative~ type. But writing was more my schtick until around eighth grade, when my best friend was a girl who drew a lot. Basically, seeing her draw made me go "Oh, yeah, I remember that. That's a thing I can do and I should do it." Before that, I was technically drawing a bit, but most of it was spewed straight from this manga book whose art I can now draw circles around.

As for what inspired me to want to take it further, though, that's equal parts the Internet and Pixar. I go on Tumblr and deviantArt a lot, so I see a lot of really good, really cool art that I want to emulate and excel past. Same with Pixar, more or less - working there as a 3D animator or concept artist is my pipe dream, after seeing how beautiful and emotionally evocative their films are. Nowadays art is a massive part of my life, which is probably for the best if I'm ever going to make a career out of it.

[The-Hydra]

Well, I've practically been drawing my own Mario levels since I was an embryo. But really, the driving factor in my "art"- Is boredom. I'm bored a lot, and drawing/spriting/sculpting/whatever can really be done anytime. So yes, next time you're bored, try drawing something. Even if it sucks, it gave you something to do for a few minutes.

[Daughter of Mew]

Nothing inspired me to start art - it's something I've been encouraged to do since I was a kid. I don't consider myself artistic because I'm not particularly creative, but I do enjoy it and can make things look sort of right. I've been doing it more since I started doing A level art at school, it's definitely widened my abilities because before I was stuck in that /only drawing manga/ phase everyone seems to have.

I guess it's a combination of boredom and finding it relaxing that keeps me doing it

[Canadian Palkia]

I've always been a creative kid, so art kinda just comes naturally to me. The drive behind my work is really Pokestadium members. I was always amazed at the artwork I found there and I set a goal to become as good as the artists there. They supported me in my goal and I'm forever thankful for all the help they gave me. The only reason I'm where I'm at now is because of them and their support. so yeah. That's my art story.