American Visionary Art Museum: You Don’t Need Formal Training to be an Artist

00:11 What’s an indie author?

01:10 Why it’s important to create–even if you don’t have formal training.

1:30 Recent visit to the American Visionary Art Museum

02:50 Art from the museum that will blow you away!

Have you ever felt like an outcast? Like maybe you don’t belong or felt like a fraud?

Have you ever tried to accomplish something outside the traditional establishment?

You’re not alone. I’m Cameron Coral, and I’m a sci-fi author who is proudly independent.

I don’t have a traditional publisher who paid me an advance. Nor do I want one. I’m an indie author meaning I dream up, write, produce, and market my books solely on my own.

I don’t have a literary degree. I’m self-taught. I’ve invested a ton of my personal time and energy and money into training and learning from other successful fiction authors.

Maybe some people out there frown upon this. But I believe in supporting local small businesses, helping the underdog like my main character Ida Sarek in my sci-fi series.

And not just authors, what about the art world?

When you go to a museum, typically you’re seeing people who went through traditional training – they went to art school for many years, got degrees and worked under mentors.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with working your way up. But I didn’t know at a young age what I wanted to do. And neither do a lot of people.

So to be able to start pursuing your creative passion at a later stage in life is part of our journey as humans.

Recently, I visited the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and was blown away by amazing art from people outside the established art community.

Packed with indoor and outdoor exhibits, the American Visionary Art Museum is like no other museum I’ve ever been to. The artists are intuitive, self-taught artists.

Some of the creators are homeless, disabled or mentally ill. Most used everyday objects to create remarkable works of art.

So, what you’ll find in this video are some of my favorite art pieces and sculptures from my visit.

I hope this video and the art will inspire you to have the courage to create. Because no matter what your background and whether or not you’ve had formal training, you have a unique story to tell.

And maybe that story comes out in words or in images or maybe one day you decide to build a statue out of toothpicks and buttons.

It all makes sense. You are a creator.

I highly recommend putting the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD on your list of places to visit on the east coast.

What did you think about the video? Add a comment to this page and let me know!

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