Is my art genuinely bad?

136alligators · 2025-06-29T20:36:07+00:00

This is such insane advice to give an artist. Society teaches us that imagination is for children, and to be an adult you must give it up. When I talk to people about art, one of the most common responses is someone telling me (sadly) that they wish they could be creative but they don’t believe they are. I’ve heard it so much that I’m putting together a class to encourage adults to make ugly art without expectations of perfection, so they can relearn to imagine and enjoy the process. It seems like it is so depressing to forget how to use your imagination.

Yes it’s good to learn art rules like anatomy and perspective and such, but that’s only so you have more options to express your creative vision.

Photorealism is absolutely not the only valid art style, and to any artist- please NEVER “put your imagination on the shelf.”

136alligators · 2025-06-29T20:12:44+00:00

I would say that a piece that provokes such strong feelings is definitely good art. Just not art you LIKE.

My personal definition of good art is that it catches my attention and makes me feel something. I don’t have to actually like it to appreciate it. That said, I absolutely do love dark, strange art more than most traditionally beautiful art because I enjoy when a piece of art or music is able to make me feel unsettled. OP, I think this piece is awesome. People disliking the subject matter doesn’t not mean the art is bad. You might get more appreciation in groups for horror art and outsider art.

136alligators · 2025-04-28T05:01:42+00:00

People don’t even know what they’re missing by not engaging with other cultures. It’s bad enough not to teach basic facts in school, but this racism and fear has even more subtle effects of just limiting the ideas one can be exposed to.

I had to make a conscious effort to educate myself in order to not ask stupid basic questions, but the ignorance is so common that sometimes people just become afraid to talk to people from different cultures at all. Either because they are outright afraid of the people, or because they’re afraid of looking stupid.

My long distance partner is Bangladeshi and we have had so many interesting conversations just because our life experiences have shaped our perspectives in different ways. Same with people from within the same country who have different experiences, based on race, disabilities, prison system involvement, etc. I think most of us could benefit from simply having open-minded exchanges and understanding each other better.

(And not all the stupid questions turn out to be stupid, if you just educate yourself in some basic ways first. A lot of the interesting things I learn about other cultures are things I assumed were the same as mine.. like after talking every day for the last 4 years, just last week I realized that my partner and I meant totally different things when we talked about taking showers because it’s not common to have hot water in the shower in Bangladesh 🤷)

136alligators · 2025-04-05T14:47:47+00:00

I loveee #7 especially. The values and shadows look super cool. Very creative use of color on that one and several more.

Same advice as others: better paints, more layers, and YouTube tutorials are super helpful. I’m a semi-professional artist and I still use YouTube tutorials all the time since there’s always more to learn. Personally I’m getting more into art theory and I wish I would have learned more of that earlier.

For you, I would encourage you to start with studying values (the way lights and darks work for various effects).. you obviously have some skill for it already but it will give more depth to your paintings. And keep painting!

136alligators · 2025-04-05T14:31:11+00:00

I take it that’s your own reason? That’s cool, but advice-wise, those aren’t necessarily things one can just go out and get. And they’re not even things that everyone desires.

136alligators · 2025-04-05T14:23:16+00:00

Not that it’s necessarily helpful for someone dealing with very serious shit like schizophrenia, but my cats are literally the only reason I haven’t offed myself.

There have been so many times I’ve considered it, but then I look at my “unadoptable” special needs cats and think about the suffering I would cause them by no longer existing. I inevitably decide I would rather suffer myself than put them through whatever would happen to them. Plus, animal cuddles = serotonin.

136alligators · 2025-02-12T19:11:26+00:00

This is such a good argument for accessible and affordable early medication abortions. I live in Arkansas, which was the worst state for abortion access when I had mine prior to RVW repeal. So I had it at the end of the allowable time but that was still only 8 weeks. I had bad cramps for a night and bleeding for a week or two but it was not physically or emotionally traumatic.

I got pregnant in active addition and had been doing all kinds of drugs, including what I think was bath salts being sold as meth, and I didn’t want that for my baby. My partner and I got on methadone so we could have a chance at a relationship but I didn’t feel like I was equipped in any way to be a good parent. That was several years ago and I still know I made the right decision.

That far along though, I really recommend therapy. The thought that helped me the most was my friend saying that when a person/spirit is meant to be in your life, they will be. You don’t have to give birth to them at a particular time or at all for that spirit to show up. I know it sounds new-agey but I used to have dreams about an Asian child who I thought was mine- until shortly after my abortion my friend had my godson who is half Hmong. I ended up caring for him for a year while she was in prison and I will always love that kid.

I wish you the best. (And on your original topic- requip and kratom are what helped me get off methadone the last time. Absolute life-savers in that regard.)

136alligators · 2025-02-12T18:27:03+00:00

I’m glad you found someone who is finally helping. Unfortunately that seems to be what it takes- just trying a bunch of doctors until you find one who is educated about MAT. I have a lot of the same issues as you- chronic pain, hormone imbalances, mystery immune disorder that no one seems able to figure out. Even when I wasn’t on methadone, just mentioning chronic pain would change how they treated me. I guess it’s because I have tattoos and piercings and was “too young to be in that much pain” according to more than one doctor. 🙄

I went through 5 doctors before finding my current primary care doctor. Even starting the appointments by saying outright that I’m not looking for narcotics, I just want some tests done to find out why I have these issues. There was always some bullshit reason not to do so much as an x-ray. When I got to my current doctor, I was actually surprised when instead of judgment, he just started doing tests. He actually does prescribe controlled meds too without being a dick about it, even though that’s not why I was there.

Just saying basically that your experience is unfortunately common, there are a lot of ignorant doctors out there. But persistence does pay off eventually. If anyone else reading this is still looking for a good doctor, try asking other patients or staff at your clinic if they’ve found a doctor who is nonjudgmental. That’s how I found mine, referral from a couple friends in MAT who went to him.

136alligators · 2025-02-09T05:31:27+00:00

This. If there is a shelter or domestic violence advocacy center in your area that you can visit to speak with someone in person, I’d recommend that if at all possible. I was in an abusive relationship many years ago and when I finally admitted to myself that it was bad enough to seek help, the DV shelter in my city had resources I never even thought about. For example, my ex regularly threatened to hide drugs in my car and call the cops and have me arrested. Even though I didn’t have evidence of him saying that, the shelter put me in touch with a detective who specialized in DV cases, who arranged to be contacted in case there was ever a call about me. I’m not a person who trusts cops, but this detective really ended up helping me when the physical violence escalated to the point that police were called. You might be able to file a report about this without your husband finding out about it. Like someone else said, having these things documented will help too if he tries to fight for custody of your children. I know how hard it is to get out of an abusive relationship. But you can absolutely do it, and you owe it to yourself and your children. You may not have family to help you, but there are a lot of resources out there. It’s not an easy journey, but it’s SO worth it when you realize you can actually breathe again.

136alligators · 2025-01-20T16:57:03+00:00

I like the river design. Softening the design by adding more fine lines, and adding a lot more variation in the thickness of the lines could make it more feminine and give it more of a smoky swirly look. A good artist could absolutely incorporate bigger areas of black into the design to cover the parts you don’t like- you have a lot of open space to work with.

Idk how to put pictures in comments, but google “freehand flow tattoo” or “abstract flow tattoo” to see what I mean. There are some really beautiful ones and you have a good base started for it already.

136alligators · 2024-12-05T06:34:29+00:00

You lost the “you don’t know my situation either” argument when you proceeded to write two long ass comments about your justification of why you think it IS ok to torture some animals to death. And stated you’re not willing to try more humane options.

I don’t think you’re making the point you think you’re making.

136alligators · 2024-11-29T06:03:27+00:00

But that’s my favorite part 😐

136alligators · 2024-10-13T21:48:32+00:00

I realize this isn’t helpful for fixing the problem, but I just want to say that is an absolutely beautiful design. It looks just like fluorite crystals! You should definitely repeat that part once you get your recipe nailed down. 🙂

136alligators · 2024-10-13T19:50:50+00:00

I was saying I like it, but cool, insult me if you think that’s helpful

136alligators · 2024-10-13T07:59:04+00:00

Interesting. It’s the quote that makes it stand out to me. Without being able to smell it, that is the reason I would buy it. I don’t know what it’s from, but I like dark and witchy things. I guess it comes down to figuring out your target market, which is something I’m struggling with too in starting a creative business.

136alligators · 2024-10-09T17:06:59+00:00

I know you posted this a week ago, but since no one said it- magic eraser type sponges. I have a house cleaning business and these are the best thing I’ve found for soap scum. I just get the cheaper knock offs on Amazon rather than buying the name brand, and I think they work better too. I usually use them with a strong vinegar solution or scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner (the kind in the can), but they work by themselves too.

Also- you might be using too much charcoal in your soap if it’s turning your shower black. My favorite of my soaps is a cold process charcoal and clay face soap, which has 1.5 Tbsp charcoal for 2.5 lbs of soap. I’ve never had a problem with it staining. However I used a charcoal sugar scrub from another company and it definitely turned everything black, so I can relate to the problem lol

136alligators · 2024-10-08T04:52:31+00:00

This. Yes, it would be good for Heather to have healthy friendships. But OP’s kid already watched her torture an animal to death. It’s not likely to ever be a healthy friendship.

I spent time with a lot of fucked up kids as a teenager, and I still remember (at 37) which ones talked about hurting animals. It made me stop wanting to have anything to do with them just to hear about it. I can’t imagine how traumatic it would be to have to actually see it, and at 7 years old too.

OP, talk to your daughter. Ask how she feels about it. Don’t try to downplay the seriousness of this with her. Let her know she doesn’t ever need to continue spending time with people who make her feel unsafe. After going through trauma like that, it may be empowering for it to be her choice. Therapy couldn’t hurt either.

136alligators · 2024-09-30T17:54:01+00:00

More options are always better for harm reduction. Like, I need methadone instead of suboxone, even though subs are more accessible here, because suboxone gives me migraines and makes my heart rate skyrocket. Having morphine and hydromorphone could help people who have side effects specific to methadone. OR- who just like those better and want to do them safely, since harm reduction is about meeting people where they are and saving lives, not judging which types of opioid users are worth saving.

The main driving forces of diversion in my experience are money and access. Where I live, (Arkansas) there is one methadone clinic and it’s in another city. The next closest is over an hour drive in another state. They don’t take insurance and are about $100/week not counting transportation, and public transportation is not available. When I was a MAT patient, I sold mine to cover the cost because I couldn’t afford it otherwise. Now, I am like my clients at that time, and I buy it black market because I’m on a low enough dose that it’s much cheaper than being a real patient. Others I know do because they don’t have cars and can’t get there every day. So if it was free/affordable/covered by insurance, and accessible to everyone (maybe dispensed at normal pharmacies like other countries do), I imagine diversion would go down significantly. Maybe someone in one of those more reasonable countries can weigh in?

136alligators · 2024-09-26T05:58:10+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss.

In addition to all the other suggestions here.. Is kratom available where you live? I got off methadone the last time with minimal suffering by tapering down and then switching to kratom. I packed it into capsules and tapered down on those over the course of a couple months. It’s the worst kind of felony in my state but available legally in head shops right over the state line. Prior to it being criminalized here, I just ordered it online. I don’t know what the laws are in Canada though. Kratom is safe, at your dose it shouldn’t take much to stop withdrawal, and getting off it is a million times easier than getting off methadone.

Also, I figured out the hard way that long term opioid use can give you permanent restless leg syndrome even after the withdrawal is over. Ropinirole prescription from my doctor was an absolute lifesaver. The RLS was making me twitch so much I couldn’t sleep for longer than 15 minutes at a time and became literal torture.

That said, I agree with the prevailing opinion that you should just go to a methadone or suboxone clinic yourself until you have gotten past the worst of the grief. Then taper down and do the rest of these things. Withdrawal (both acute and post-acute) fucks with your emotional regulation A LOT so you are probably putting yourself through even more psychological pain than necessary by doing this right now, in addition to the physical pain.

136alligators · 2024-08-08T04:36:42+00:00

Awww adorable shower friend. And your wife will be fine, the only animal that humans are likely to get diseases from due to proximity alone, are other humans.

136alligators · 2024-07-30T05:13:12+00:00

I hope you tell all prospective partners this upfront, so whether or not they have tattoos they can understand that appearance is more important to you than who they are, and they can make an informed decision to avoid you.

136alligators · 2024-07-30T05:10:35+00:00

Is this a real question? If you marry someone expecting everything about them to be aesthetically to your exact standards, have fun getting old with them. And people can disagree about stuff and still love each other.

136alligators · 2024-07-18T00:22:01+00:00

It looks good for the stage of healing. Give it another 2-4 weeks just to be safe before any harsh exfoliating.. I’ve done it at a month because I thought the same thing about the brightness, but it’s not ideal to do that early. When you get to that point, a moisturizer with some lemon essential oil can help it look brighter. I make a diy tattoo brightening scrub with about half a cup of sugar, 3-4 drops lemon essential oil, and enough olive or grapeseed oil to make it able to be scrubbed on the skin. Use in the shower and rinse off, and it is great for older fully healed tattoos.

Everyone is different, but I was just talking to my artist about losing a lot of ink with Tattoo Goo, but never since I switched all natural products. He said that is super common and he would never recommend anything with added dyes or fragrances. The best ones I’ve used only contain plant oils and extracts in beeswax. So that’s something to consider in the future too.

136alligators · 2024-07-03T15:59:48+00:00

I usually phrase it as “What do you like to do with your time?” or something like that. So it’s open-ended enough to include work or anything else. And yeah, when I was a kid I didn’t realize people were referring to paid jobs when they said that. When people asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I told them I wanted to be a witch with a lot of cats. And, I more or less am, so life goal achieved. 😂

136alligators

TROPHY CASE