Real Creative Magazine /Spring 2021

REAL CREATIVE MAGAZINE

JUST MY OPINION

cra·zy /krāzē/ extremely enthusiastic.

by Lon Levin

Have you ever thought to yourself, I must be crazy having a goal of succeeding as a artist? Along the way you've been praised, criticized, ignored yet you persist. What is that all about? Why do we continue? I've asked myself this so many times I've given up asking. It is what it is,...right?

Years ago I was months away from graduating from UCLA School of Fine Arts. My teacher at the time was famous painter, Richard Diebenkorn. He looked at my senior project and offer this advice. "You need to find another profession." He went on to explain. "It's not that you don't have talent, you don't strike me as committed to your art and to make it as an artist, you need to be all in... totally crazy about your art."

At that moment my already fragile ego took a major beating. Was he right...was I faking it or did I really care about being an artist? Ever felt that way?

I graduated in June of that year and had only a vague idea how to get work. I'd sepnt my whole life in school concentrating on how to render figures, mix paint and copy master drawings in charcoal. Maybe my father was right, I needed to get a real job.

As luck would have it I met a girl Marilyn Keast, who was attending Art Center College of Design...the old school on 3rd street. She suggested I take a look at enrolling in their master's program as a painter. I made an appointment to see the admittance supervisor soon after. When I arrived for my interview I walk thru the halls that were covered with all sorts of student work. I was stunned to see the level of professionalism and knew I needed to go there if I was ever to have a chance to succeed in the art world.

“Ball of Confusion” Illustration by Lon Levin

"Was I crazy?!" my father yelled at me when I asked him to finance my latest idea. ""You need to join the real world!" After a lot of fighting and arguing with my parents we agreed to co-finance my folly. I would get loans and scholarships and they would match it dollar for dollar. In addition I had to get a part-time job. That added up to 40 hours of classes, 40 hours of homework and 15- 20 hours of paid work. I have no idea how I made it thru that gauntlet but I did and I graduated Art Center as an Advertising/Illustration major. Soon after I started getting freelance projects and in time a job as an art director in the entertainment business. For 23 years I created art, flm campaigns, movie trailers and online advertising for several different studios...and now,"still crazy after all these years" I am painting for myself and loving every second

So, if you feel lke a "ball of confusion" about your career choice in the arts, feeling like you must be crazy... never fear you're on the right track.

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