Student of Life Part 1

I’m starting a new journal series, you can call It a short essay or a journal whichever you choose. I put out a little booklet at the beginning of the year called SMH Annual Vol.1: Enough To Share. 

  The book was all about what I had learned that year. When I wrote that publication I hadn’t really made an effort to put my thoughts together about it until the end of the year. I’m an artist that really loves being in the process So I figure it’ll help me to gather my thoughts leading up to writing the second volume.

  This year’s theme will focus around being a Student of Life. I always consider myself that, but I’m really feeling compelled to be a student right now. I started going to school for illustration last year and it’s pushing me in a whole new direction as an artist. It’s very focused on drawings principals I glanced over in high school and a whole new host of other lessons. 

  Vol.1 had this art direction I was really proud of, I worked for years to create this visual identity for myself. Been remaking my website with is in mind, making illustrations to post and sell. and what it seems like is I brought that style as far as I could given my current technical ability. So it feels like a logical conclusion for me to put a pause on the Cartoons for the time being to dip back into the well so to speak, see what there is to learn out there. 

It’s really, really fascinating honestly. To be a novice again, to have mentorship again, to be humble again. There are a lot of things right now happening around me that are giving me much needed fresh perspective. To continue on about the illustration itself, there are ways where I always knew the perspective was off, I always knew I was limited in some ways when it actually comes to my knowledge of anatomy. Certain things would just look goofy within the piece, it was the sorta thing I would hope people would glance over in my work and let the loud bright color distract them. Ultimately I feel as though they were inadequacies I was pretty insecure about. Obviously that is more than ok to have those flaws, I am just happy I decided to start focusing on fixing them. 

Obviously you’ll see a few drawing here I decided to share. This is the stuff I’m currently working on. Trying to push myself to work on the illustration principals I was taught for an hour or so each day and balance other projects I got going on. It all adds up and amounts to the schooling I’m seeking. 

Is this the life of an artist? It remains to be seen.

Xoxo SMH 

P.S here’s a link to 2023’s SMH Annual if you’re interested.

https://www.stephenmichaelhaas.com/shopsmh/smh-annual-vol1-enough-to-share-physical

A Trip to the Anne Marie Garden

I got my first rental car this past Saturday. My car has been out of commission 2 months due to someone hitting it while I was asleep. But I was selected to show my art in an upcoming exhibit at The Anne Marie Garden an affiliate to the Smithsonian and Hirshhorn museum. So the show must go on.

I’ve mentioned this in the story but my work was reviewed by the director of the Hirshhorn and the Smithsonian so it doesn’t get much better than that for me. This is amongst the proudest moments for me.

This definitely inspires me to aim higher! I’ve been practicing letting go, trying to trust in my faith more. I recently decided to stop chasing, stop. Pushing to make stuff happen it’s funny this opportunity fell into my lap right when I decided that.

I’m deciding to trust that I’ll always be taken care of. Also that’s my brother zach with me! Thanks for tagging along bro.

Xoxo

SMH

Headed the right direction

I haven’t kept a blog consistently really since tumblr back around 2011-2012. Instagram took that over and massively deemphasized the use of words lol.

social media seems to be the epitome of style over substance. but I have been thinking about creating a space for myself to share my thoughts more consistently. after all I do think pretty pontificate non stop

I’m on a new journey with my illustration to really grow. I am also accepting that I’m a thinker, speaker and a writer as much as I am an illustrator. Sharing my ideas is really important to me. I also really love how they all add up. A blog is definitely a brilliant way to track progress.

To touch back on the illustration piece, I recently realized my ultimate goal would be to work in cartoons or video games in some capacity and I accepted that, my illustration leaves a lot to be desired if that’s something I really want to commit myself to. So I better get after it.

I also want to be much more intentional about how I put myself out in the world as an artist. I’ve had a few really good hits with some bigger companies or organizations but I’ve never been able to create any semblance of consistent work within that world. So it’s really been feast or famine over the years. but I realized its because I leave a lot of it up to happenstance. I get the good job referrals because I always knock it out the park when someone hires, I just don’t really put much effort into finding new clients or putting myself out there.

Further more I pour a significant amount of recourses into social media or other events that don’t ever really seem to pay off. So I’m in the process of kind of reorienting my focus toward growing my technical skills and putting my time into connecting directly with big museums or companies rather than leaving it up to chance.

I feel so empty sometimes when I put a piece out into the world that took 30 hours and it gets 30 likes. It get’s to a point where I see that more frequently than say the work I did with Verizon, or the people who’s jaws are dropping at the mural. But I always have such a good time and make so many friends when I am on a project. So rather than constantly casting a line out the noone ever bites I think I want to start leaning into the areas I have found success……. with the museums, with the people who bought the murals, with the ad agencies that reached out to me, with my teachers. I always have nourishing conversations with them. and in a way part of what I really want is to be working with people doing incredible things. I’m already actually doing that in a way. rather than focusing on how many like or followers I don’t have. I wasn’t present with dude at the restaurant I was painting. I was pissed off about how nobody way liking the mural post that I wasn’t even focused on the dude I was hanging out with.

Anyway! that’s where I am. Stay tuned

xoxo SMH