The RAW:DC artists event was an awesome time. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. The most rewarding part (besides all the support of my friends, great feedback on my work, and chance to meet other talented artists) was talking to an art student about to graduate. He is in the exact same place I was 6 years ago. You are about to be employed, thrown into the real world, and just a little bit lost as to where you go next. He wanted to know what my influences were, what advice I had, and how I found my style. That was probably my biggest concern. Without a style to call your own, there's no way to market yourself. As an artist not knowing what makes your work your own is disconcerting as hell. My response was that I didn't know either at that point in my life. It wasn't until after I graduated and painted whatever I was in the mood to paint, no references, no time constraints, and only what I thought was beautiful, that my style started to take shape. Now I look at my work and its pretty clear what I do. For the most part it's all pretty cohesive. So my advice to any younger artists is to keep up with the art you most relate to (I love the arrested motion blog, and wooster collective blogs for example), watch what artists are doing at your favorite galleries (mine are mostly in cali for low brow stuff but also locally like Art Whino), and give it time. The more you work purely for yourself the more of "you" ends up in your work. I don't know what my work will look like in 20 years but that's how it's supposed to be. Keep experimenting, keep evolving, and do what you love.
