Post 7- How Do You Make It? Sky Hopinka -CTF

 

• How does Sky Hopinka use his medium of choice? What inspired him to use video?
• Sky Hopinkia's medium of choice is Film and Storytelling. He does visual manipulation, piecing together video, audio recoding, and mixes concepts of identity, language, and landscapes. He grew up around artists; his mother was a dancer, his grandmother was a beadwork artist, and his father was a singer. He grew up around creative people. So, it's no surprise that Hopinka has pursued a career in the art field, and it's safe to believe the family's creativity inspired his motivation to continue. Language was a big theme for him as well; in the article, he even states that as he learned Chinuk Wawa, it gave him a foundation and structure on how he approaches his work- the structure/Rules of language and grammar and approaches to learning.

"I wasn't able to look at it critically until years later, but the structure of grammar, the structure of language, all these different rules or approaches to learning language—I could see myself applying those same things to how I approach video. And just trying to figure out what it was I was interested in and how they're very similar in these ways that aren't immediately obvious" - Sky Hopinka (Response 3).

• What material/medium/process do you use and how? What inspired you to make your work that way?

• The best way to explain my process of creating is this: a sketchbook and a comfortable pen (or colored pencil) are the way to go. Not being able to erase will force you to work with errors and trust yourself in the creative process. Don't think (or think it's up to you); just do. Even if it's a "terrible" drawing or sketch, keep it, and keep sketching. If you are truly struggling for inspiration, going out in nature helps. If that isn't an option for you, go through your camera roll! Pinterest is also a great source for color palettes and poses. These all may even inspire the composition itself. Once again, Sketch. Even get input from friends and take critiques (they are just suggestions- but they may see something you don't). Just keep drawing; it will get you to where you want to be, even if you choose to restart. Another thing, don't be comfortable! You won't learn. 
• The mediums I've naturally gravitated toward are traditional Sketching and Digital art due to growing up watching cartoons/comics and animated movies, both classic and modern- I fell in love with the process of creation and the idea of collective minds with completed skills contributing to a creative project. Teamwork! Everyone should have access to paper and a pencil- that is how it started for me- the state test hated to see me coming because I wouldn't answer a thing but trust! There are gonna be 3 million doodles on the paper when it's turned in.
• Preferred materials when engaging in these Mediums tend to be: sketchbook, pen, colored pencils, graphite, ink, crayons. Digitally I use software like: Procreate, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketchbook, and Clip Studio Paint. 
• What kept me going was my genuine interest in learning and growing in these mediums. Being around people who share the same passions and goals has also been a huge source of inspiration for my work.