Have you ever struggled with illustrating anything that isn't in front of you? Do you create remarkable observational/critical studies easily but get frustrated creating something that requires picturing and imagination?. You might have aphantasia.

what is aphantasia

Aphantasia is the inability to form mental images. It is estimated that 2-5% of people have Aphantasia. Those with aphantasia are unable to visualise scenes, objects and even people that they are familiar with. The opposite of aphantasia is hyperphantasia, where a person can visualise extreme vivid images. The phenomenon is still undergoing research for better understanding.

how am I sure that I have aphantasia?

The VVIQ test is an accurate measurement of a person's visual imagery. The test focuses on an individual's ability to imagine scenery, objects or people. A 5 point scale measures the test, 1 being no image at all and five being perfectly realistic, as vivid as seeing. Take the vividness of the visual imagery test here.

Can I be a good artist with aphantasia?

No! Glen Keane, oscar-winning animator of Ariel, has affirmed that he has aphantasia, and it hasn't stopped him from achieving artistic greatness. And it won't stop you. We often correlate creativity with imagination when that is not the case.

How can I be a good artist if I have aphantasia?

You can excel by approaching art analytically, practising and gaining more experience.

conceptualise

1.put your art ideas into words first

It helps a lot to brainstorm and jot down creativity as soon as it comes your way. Aphantastic people may not visualise the piece in their heads, but a great way to start would be to depict them in words and draw later. What message do you want to convey? how will you go about it? What techniques/media would be suitable for it. Start thinking about perspectives. What will be the focal point?

2.Start small and go bigger

Finishing a piece may be daunting. All art has an ugly phase that you cannot escape. There is self doubt and fatigue. But building art in small blocks can eliminate those two and bring about more confidence. By breaking things further and tackling them one by one, you will be victorious. This should be the sketching stage, right after putting the art in words.For example ;themes,background, the object,the subject.Once you have all of the small important things mapped down, you will see the bigger picture. Hopefully in a popular art Exhibition!

3.hone your spatial skills/ approach art more analytically challenge yourself

There is a misconception that you need vivid visual memory to draw things as they are, but that is false. It all comes down to what you put down on paper. A strong foundation of art basics can get you far. For example, knowing spatial direction, shapes and perspective, all fall under knowledge. It isn't about your imagination but your understanding of things, for example, knowing the proportions of a face. Most formulas for art come from the Renaissance period, with artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci who stressed the importance of the fundamentals to achieve naturalism in their art. Art is a lot more analytical than you think. Medieval artists made mistakes by lacking skills such as correct proportions and perspectives when doing 3/4 view portraits and depicting infants.

4.expand your knowledge of structures and anatomy

 When I first started drawing, it was intimidating to see people quickly draw things without reference. I didn't understand that art could be a lot more complex when I was a child. Mainly because I drew for fun, I couldn't care less about the rules behind the art.  

I noticed that there are many methods out there that artists need to use. No one expects you to freehand draw a mythological creature confidently without sketching. Surround yourself with nature, or study from drawing books. Do this little by little so that it's not overwhelming for you. Many organisms share a similar structure, so it gets easier with more practice and honed intuition.

building muscle memory

5.start drawing with objects around you

 Subsequently, it is necessary to have if you struggle with mental vividness. It makes up for it. Spatial memory doesn't make an artist. A tip would be to study and draw skulls, skeletons. Test your abilities by drawing things from different perspectives and lightings to build a mental knowledge of things. Once you study something, drawing it will be much easier, you won't have to rely on imagination.

"if you are drawing a blank, or are having a hard time drawing a certain thing, then that is beacuse you have not studied it hard enough" -Glen Keane

When Glen Keane was creating the beast for the movie "beauty and the beast",. He couldn't quite picture the character but used objects around him to help. He used the head of a wild boar he had in his office, with a combination of other animals he had found in a magazine.

6.Trace over objects/references to improve muscle memory

Tracing as an exercise will strengthen your drawing skills. Using reference pictures and drawing the structures and simple shapes are excellent exercises that will train your eyes and test your knowledge—further improving your drawing abilities. Practise with easy animals such as birds then giraffes, elephants and human features. With Repetition and practice, you should gain more confidence and get quicker. Developing muscle memory with sketching will put you at an advantage.

How do I create good art with concept and originality?

You think this is the hardest part, but it is the easiest.

7.seek inspiration from other artists

There is nothing wrong with taking a few ideas from someone and adding your style or story to it. A great way to keep being inspired is by looking at art and pictures from dedicated platforms like Pinterest. Do not be intimidated by other artist's abilities. There is no competition, and art is subjective. Pinterest makes it possible to create vision boards(which you can mark as private for personal use). The algorithm is phenomenal. Once you start pinning photos and saving them, Pinterest will curate your feed to fit the aesthetic you are looking for.

8.curate a visual plan with software like adobe

an optional tip for artists struggling to see the result of their art due to a lack of visual vividness is to use adobe to portray abstract ideas in front of you realistically. For instance, playing with colour and drawing monochrome. Contorting a figure can all be achieved with digital software to tackle this tricky part. I often use adobe to create references that would help me create surrealist art.