Miss Daisy Drawing

Tag: writing

  • The Most Important Skill for Today’s Artists Isn’t Realism I

    Today, I want to share some thoughts on painting and creative practice.

    In this era, the most Important skill for today’s Artists isn’t Realism. obsessing over extreme realism is not only outdated, but it also leads you down a path that runs counter to where art is actually headed.

    If we look at the history of painting—specifically the history of Western art—before the invention of the camera, painting existed to reproduce mythology, Christianity, and the lives of royalty and the bourgeoisie. The invention of photography destroyed the foundation of “representation” in painting, but at the same time, it accelerated the evolution of artistic form. From Impressionism to Fauvism, Constructivism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, twentieth-century art took on countless forms—none of which were concerned with how closely a painting resembled its subject.

    Traditional drawing education—especially pencil sketching—originates from Western realist oil-painting training. Techniques like structural analysis and perspective were once fundamental, but within today’s artistic context and visual vocabulary, they are no longer universal.

    Painting itself is a language: new vocabulary emerges with each era, and outdated vocabulary naturally fades away.

    People often point to the contemporary hyperrealist Leng Jun as proof that realism is still valued in the art market. But this example is not representative—just as you cannot use Ke Jie to generalize the entire world of Go, especially when comparing him to AlphaGo. There is only one Leng Jun, just as there is only one Ke Jie.

    Meanwhile, AI can now generate images that are more realistic, faster, and more “perfect” than anything we can create by hand—just as photography once threatened traditional painting. Competing with AI on realism is meaningless.

    Have you ever wondered why children love animation, and why many adults still do? Beyond storytelling, animation offers visual distortion, reinvention, and imagination—an escape from reality. Art pulls us out of the real world, and that is precisely what makes it intoxicating.

    That is why the true competitive edge of contemporary painting is no longer the ability to replicate reality, but the ability to create what reality does not contain. Modern artists need the ability to build dreams for their audiences.

    After all, an artist’s emotions, stories, and way of seeing the world are things AI cannot replicate. So the next time you hesitate and ask yourself, “Should I make this look more realistic?” maybe the better question is: “Is there even one stroke in this painting that only I could have created?”

    Painting will never become obsolete. Only the artists who remain trapped in the past will.

    In the content, I’ll keep discuss this topic from the perspective of the art market and today’s audiences.

    If you enjoy my content, feel free to like, subscribe, and comment. You’re also welcome to share your own thoughts and reflections on art in the comments. I’ll see you soon.

  • 2025: The Year I Embraced My Artistic Passion

    As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve found my true passion.

    A long-time friend recently left a comment under one of my videos and asked me, “Why art?”Especially when art, at least for now, brings me no money, no stability, no tangible return. So why art?

    “In the first year of my master’s program, I listened to a talk by a musician who played a very niche instrument. When someone in the audience asked her why she chose to stick with that instrument, her answer was simple and direct: ‘Because it’s the only thing I know how to do.’

    That answer hit me deeply.

    In my twenties, I naïvely believed I had endless time and endless choices.
    But as I entered my thirties, I slowly realized that the most precious thing a person has is time. And the older I get, the more I feel how little time each day truly belongs to me.

    Instead of looking everywhere, it’s better to choose one thing and go all in.


    This seemingly simple truth took me a quarter of my life to understand.

    In 2025, my family and I renovated our garage and turned it into my art studio. I got my first student here in Melbourne.I started my another social media account and gained nearly 4,000 followers in just half a year. Now I’m branching out to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

    I know—and the data clearly tells me—that this field is already very crowded. But that’s okay. Because at this point in my life, I’ve finally learned the one “cheat code” for this game called life:

    Dreams don’t come from imagining.They come from doing.

    As 2025 comes to an end, I feel like I’ve finally found true Passion.


    I’ve found a place to put all the experiences and lessons I’ve carried over the years.

    I love everything I’m doing. I love art, and I love sharing it with others through my own perspective and practice.

    And before I finish, I want to share a passage from Steve Jobs—a piece that has inspired me for years.

    “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”


    Happy New Year! I truly wish that my words and arts can bring a positive impact around. I wish everyone who is browsing my website all the best in 2026.  

  • Learn Art Without School: A New Perspective

    You don’t need to attend an art school to learn art.

    Screenshot

    Today I want to share a viewpoint that goes completely against the usual expectations: you don’t need to go to an art school to learn art, and you don’t need to go to university to learn how to make money. In this era, “learning” and “school” are two entirely different things.

    Learning is something you do for yourself. You learn what you’re genuinely interested in, and what will actually benefit you.

    School, on the other hand, is a system. Beyond teaching students, it also exists to provide employment and maintain social stability. Take content creation as an example: for most people today, it’s one of the most accessible and practical career paths. But do you really need a university degree in media studies to become a content creator? When it comes to making content, whose lessons are more valuable—top creators whose videos have millions of views , or university professors? People who benefit from staying inside the system will never point this out.

    A lot of people still treat ‘school’ as if it were the whole definition of learning—as if you can only study art by getting into an art academy, or only become employable by earning a university degree. But that mindset is completely out of touch with how the world works today.

    First, the internet now offers more resources than any other time in history. You can view high-quality images of original artworks, listen to open courses from leaders across different industries, follow your favorite artists, or join online communities where people motivate each other and stay accountable. Learning—whether it’s art or most fields that don’t require strict technical certification, such as languages or management—does not need to happen inside a traditional institution.

    Second, this era demands that we understand ourselves more than ever. You need to use every tool around you—reading, writing, and the vast information available online—to discover your strengths and direction. Education today is shifting toward “self-education.” We all have to move from being passively guided to being self-driven, from chasing credentials to building real capability.

    Don’t let the belief that “you must go to school to gain a skill” limit you. As long as you keep practicing, keep learning, and keep creating, you can grow anywhere—and it’s never too late to start.

    Stop tying your growth to school, and stop letting others define your future. The right to learn is in your own hands, and the only person who can truly determine how far you go is you.

  • Why Your Sketchbook is More Than Just a Doodle Pad

    A lot of people think a sketchbook is just for doodling or scribbling, but it is far more important than it seems.


    If painting is a form of expression, then a sketchbook is your truest, most unfiltered “visual diary.”

    It is a place that accepts you without conditions. In your sketchbook, you can mess up, draw badly, get proportions wrong, make things look chaotic, or even draw something that looks nothing like what you intended. It won’t judge you. It won’t pressure you. It is like a gentle therapist that quietly receives everything you pour into it.

    So what exactly does a sketchbook do for us?

    First, it helps us record our lives.


    As a “visual diary,” your sketchbook captures your daily ideas, moods, inspirations, and observations. Every stroke and every page carries your personal imprint. Over time, you’ll notice it reveals the parts of you that are hidden deep inside—pieces you may have never expressed before.

    Second, it helps us overcome perfectionism.


    In a sketchbook, you do not need to carry the burden of creating a beautiful, finished artwork. You can fail, experiment, play, and make mistakes. This freedom—free from rules and expectations—releases a tremendous amount of imagination and creativity that perfectionism often suppresses.

    Third, it strengthens our observation and improves our skills.


    Nothing trains your artistic abilities as comprehensively as sketching. A sketchbook is like practicing scales in music; the daily repetitions gradually help you understand and master the “notes” of drawing—line, structure, light, shadow, and color.You stop simply “seeing” and start “understanding”: Where is the light coming from? Why does the hand bend this way? Why does this composition feel balanced? How do these colors interact?Your eye becomes sharper, one sketch at a time.

    And finally, it helps you discover your artistic style.


    All the things you hesitate to try in a polished piece—different lines, quicker strokes, unusual compositions, new ideas—you can explore freely in your sketchbook. Over time, these spontaneous marks reveal your preferences, rhythms, and artistic temperament. This is where your style begins to take shape.

    If you don’t have a sketchbook yet, you might be missing a space where you’re allowed to be imperfect.


    If you already have one, give it more pages, more chances, more of your world.


    As the new year begins, start a sketchbook for yourself. Fill it for a year, and see how much you transform from the first page to the last.

  • How to Start Drawing When You Don’t Know What to Draw

    “Not knowing what to draw” is a problem we often face when painting. For example, you really want to draw, your brush is in your hand, but your mind feels like it’s on pause. Or you search online for references, see a composition that’s too complex, colors that are confusing, and slowly you have no idea where to start.

    What’s really stopping us from putting brush to paper is a subtle worry. It’s like when we want to do something, but before even starting, we imagine all the things that could go wrong. Fear is the worst enemy—fear is our own greatest obstacle.

    Creating is a process of facing the unknown, and it shatters our perfectionism. Especially when we’re just starting out with drawing—or doing anything—imperfection is actually the norm.

    So how do we overcome the “I don’t know what to draw” problem?

    First, change your goal from “making a perfect painting” to “just draw something.”
    You can draw the cup on your desk, the clouds outside your window, your dog doing something silly at home, or even random lines, shapes, or doodles. Just get your hand moving, and let your subconscious and momentum do the rest.

    Second, treat drawing as “recording,” not “producing a masterpiece.”


    Break the big goal of a “finished artwork” into small daily steps. Use drawing like a diary—record the light you see, your mood, the story you want to tell, or flashes of inspiration that suddenly come to you in a sketchbook.

    Third, allow yourself to be imperfect and make mistakes.


    If you can’t draw something, it’s often because you’re trying to get it right in one go—but very few things in this world happen perfectly on the first try. Inspiration isn’t some magical gift; it’s the side effect of accumulation, thinking, and habit. Behind every beautiful, polished artwork, there are often hundreds or thousands of failed attempts.

    So next time you don’t know what to draw, try telling yourself:


    “It’s okay. Just draw something.”


    Even if it turns out wrong or messy, the worst that happens is you waste a sheet of paper.