I know I can’t be alone in this; I’d love to hear from some other artists with aphantasia. Maybe we can share tips and advice about how we cope, or just commisserate with one another. I kind of feel like a bit of a fraud, you know?
I didn’t even learn about aphantasia until after I started selling art. It’s by no means my primary source of income, not at all unusual for an artist, but I definitely feel like I’ve chosen the wrong profession to get into! I also can’t imagine sounds but I play several musical instruments. It’s like I’m most interested in doing things I arguably have zero talent for.
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I tried to be an artist. I spent my whole time in general education drawing and trying to get better. It was very discouraging when it felt like it took a whole year to improve even the most minor aspects. I stopped after I graduated and haven’t really tried since. I’ve been feeling an itch to try again though, I just feel like I need to relearn everything from scratch. Cause I spent all this time teaching myself from a normal person’s perspective. And yeah, I feel like I’ve fooled everyone into thinking I’m a decent artist. Thing is my hand-eye coordination is real strong. So I’d ‘trace’ art from games I played in any attempt to learn and cause it looked good people thought I was good
I tried for a long time. Sold my Wacom a couple of years ago to make money, and haven’t really done anything since.
I still love to do digital art and graphic design. But unless I’ve got the magical combination of hydration, caffeine, being well rested, having no stress, being in the zone with background music, and having a flash of inspiration; I basically just waste hours trying to do simple things, or I make tweaks until something seems right.
I have a small handful of digital paintings, but nothing I’d care to share. My DeviantArt days are long gone.
I’d say that if you’re making some money off of it, then you must being doing well and have some good work. Kudos to you, that’s genuinely an awesome thing that you should be proud of. :)
I’m not involved in art at all however you seems to not be alone at all; take a look at :
- https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47830256 - Aphantasia: Ex-Pixar chief Ed Catmull says ‘my mind’s eye is blind’
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewsGmhAjjjI - “an artist that can’t see pictures in my head”
- https://aphantasia.com/article/strategies/how-to-make-art-with-aphantasia/ - How to Make Art with Aphantasia