BW03: Caconyms

Hi! So for this week, I don't actually have time to write extensively. Luckily, I had a back-up plan for a situation like this. Now, a caconym means something like 'bad name' or 'incorrect name', mainly related to science. It's common in science, where words are meant to be descriptive. Another, perhaps better way to put it is "I don't think that word means what you think that it means, maybe you should look it up?". However, we are surrounded by words and expressions that can cause confusion in the spheres of art and design too. You may or may not agree with my short list, but it should be fun to write anyway. Here we go:

Study - I covered this in my previous entry, but what really bugs me is the expression 'a study'. I think it would be simpler to jut say 'study this' or 'study that'. This might be because English aren't my native language, but this expression initially messed up my idea of how to study art.

Visual Library - visual library actually refers to an understanding of the visual world and our visual perception (this is a crude simplification, it's an interesting subject). However, because of the expression itself; it's very easy to get confused about what this really refers to. It's very common to think that we somehow store visual memories and experience in a part of our brain that we can access like a reference library when we draw. This is not representative for what little we know of how our brains and memories work. Visual Library is a really catchy term, but in my books it's a really strong candidate for a caconym.

Sketch - This is something that maybe just is me personally, but to me a sketch means some kind of visual that helps in the creation of some final product. By this definition, even the most detailed illustration is a sketch if it's supposed to be turned into a 3d model for a cinematic scene. If you don't think this qualifies as a caconym, wait until a client asks for a 'sketch' and you have to try to figure out how rough or refined of a sketch hey are asking for. The word just has very different definitions for everyone. Personally, I like mine because as long as it's suited to the production needs, it should suffice.

The Industry - Really, which one? Everyone wants to break in to 'the industry' but it's not actually a thing. I mean sure, the term 'breaking in to the industry' pretty much means to get your first major break towards becoming recognised as a professional artist. But still, there are a diverse amount of different industries, each with needs for different artistic skills and personalities. Once upon a time, I just wanted 'to break into the industry' as well, but it just made me very unhappy. Nowadays I just do the stuff that I personally like and find interesting, following some advice I once got "Do what you like until you get so good that someone will pay you to do it".

Fundamentals - Ok, fundamentals really isn't a caconym, but it get's misunderstood by many (including younger me). There's a big difference between 'fundamentals' and 'basics'. The fundamentals are the principles that apply to everything in visual art (drawing, painting, sculpting, photography, design and cinematography and so on). Basics are more like; reasonable starting points when you learn something. For example, when you begin to study perspective, it's reasonable to stick to cubes. Really good people still study perspective and other fundamentals, but they have moved beyond the basic stages. When I started out, everything I saw the pro's and godly artists do looked like special tricks and advanced techniques. Now I know that they aren't really, they are just studying and applying fundamentals at a more advanced level! And the only way to get to the advanced understanding is to start at the basic levels. So if you like me, are confusing fundamentals with basics; don't feel bad thinking you are still not understanding fundamentals. You will spend the rest of your artistic career studying fundamentals anyway!

Concept Artist - This is probably the most muddy term. I don't even actually know what it means. Well, I have my own interpretation, but so does everyone else. I think if you want to become a concept artist, put the label aside and focus on what it is you want to do. My experience is that people seem to shy away from the term, instead calling themselves 'designer' visual storytellers' or 'visual developers'. In the end, all art that is used to conceptualise something is concept art, but the focus of the people behind it can be very different. Again, focus on the part of it where you find the most enjoyment and think you could add the most value.

Ok, I can't think of anything else right now. Feel free to discuss/comment with confusing terms of your own. See you in two weeks, and remember, words mean something!