Why I have an "art style" — the pros and cons

Hi guys! I am Pousali, the creator of this blog. You may know me from my Instagram @mini_art_ist. I love to create cute cartoony illustrations that have a sticker-like feel to it. But to use only this one style feels very restrictive. 

Why do I stick with it then? 

Well, I continue because of this feeling of restriction. My art style is like a key that is also a lock. It both frees and restricts me. I am a person who likes jumping from one thing to the other without a second thought. As a result, I never become the best at what I do. But over the years, I have done so many things. You could say, I am a jack of all trades and master of none. Anyway, by posting a certain style of art, I find myself accountable to my dear followers who have followed me for this style. I don't switch it up because I don't want to 'clickbait' them. If at some time, I am absolutely unable to continue creating in this manner, only then will I change my art style. This is a self imposed rule on my art to better myself and my life in other areas as well.

The key that can also be a lock

How does this help in other areas of my life?

Art is just one area of my life. By holding myself accountable and by forcing myself to draw within a certain restriction, I am training my brain to focus on one thing at a time when it comes to art. As I get better at that, I hope to apply this new found focus to the other aspects of my life like studies. Bear in mind, when I say "forcing myself" I don't mean that I don't enjoy drawing in this style. Like I said before, if I stop enjoying it, I stop doing it. I have never had a specific style before and my art was all over the place. But when I discovered my sticker-like style, I really loved it. I still want to create art of other styles but I don't post them on my Instagram. In this way, I can keep on creating fun art and enjoy while I try to better myself.

Improving myself

Pros: 

As I said, one of the pros of this method is improving my focus while enjoying myself. Another pro is that my feed remains consistent. On this note, I believe that consistency is key to forming a recognisable brand, no matter how small your brand is. In this oversaturated market of social media users, creating a brand image that is recognisable is a great achievement. As I build my social media presence, if I stick with a style, people are more likely to recognise the posts I create as my own. At the time of writing this, I have around 1.2 k followers on @mini_art_ist which is not much compared to others in this genre, but it is a huge achievement to me nonetheless. Though with this small following, brand recognition does not matter much, I still believe it is necessary for the long run. To summarize, the pros are:

1. Improves focus

2. Promotes consistency

3. Builds a recognisable brand for the long run

This instantly brings to mind Jeff Koons

Cons:

Like there are two sides of a coin, there must be cons where there are pros. This method at times feels restrictive. There are certain things that cannot be conveyed through this style. The biggest of this is that since I chose a style that has characters without eyes or mouths (or noses for that matter), it is really hard to convey emotions. It is possible, through poses and themes, but it takes way more effort than if I was able to just create a quick expression. Another con is that, certain subject matter just doesn't translate well in this style. However, this are all the cons of choosing my particular style. Say I would have chosen some other art style: for example, I drew in only black and white realism with the occasional pop of colour. If I wanted to draw a fully colourful piece, I could do it, but it would look out of place. Every art style thus has a con. Not every subject matter translates well into every art style. This is simply a fact I have come to terms with, and any content creator that follows a particular style has accepted this. What is important is that you choose the style you like and essentially choose your own cons. 

Choosing your own cons

Where does it end?

Ideally, I continue this style forever. But for a uncommitted person like me, that actually feels impossible. So realistically speaking, my current style will continue till I feel like I cannot create anymore. Just like I said before, if I stop enjoying myself, I stop doing it. Ultimately, this is for the betterment of my life and if I do not enjoy my life, is that life really better? 

Enjoy life

For now, let's just enjoy ourselves and see how far the wind takes us.

Disclaimer: Everything I wrote upto this point is my opinion. Art style is actually quite subjective and whether it is good to use actually depends on the individual. Bottom line is do the research and follow your heart.