The Ronnie James Dio Approach to Art

The value of trusting your gut.

I’ve talked about my classic heavy metal obsession on this blog more than once. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I’m a big fan of the work of Ronnie James Dio, the great songwriter and vocalist of the 1970’s and 80’s. He was, in my opinion, the greatest vocalist in all of heavy metal. He had an impressive range, volume and skill with his voice. It’s hard to believe that he had no formal training.

No, Ronnie didn’t take one, single voice lesson. He learned to sing from listening to his parents’ opera records and playing the trumpet in high school. That’s how he developed his breathing technique and how he got all that volume out of a small frame. He left an indelible mark on the genre, to the point where hundreds of vocalists have taken queues from him.

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This is also true of the legendary Metal musician, Dave Mustaine. He never took guitar lessons, yet his playing style is so iconic that Metallica (which he was once a member of) stole his riffs. Many musicians have tried to copy his style. But it was entirely unique to him, because he figured it out on his own. He didn’t have to be taught “the rules” he just had an innate sense of musicianship.

I take very much the same approach to art. I have no formal training to speak of. I figured it out on my own. I had some help yes, but I’ve never set foot in a classroom. I think it gives my work an organic, unique quality which my patrons appreciate. Yes, sometimes it’s sloppy and things don’t come out the way I’d like and I end up scrapping and starting over frequently, but with practice, I make it work for me.

Sometimes I think being preoccupied with the rules of art actually gets in the way of just sitting down and creating. Now, rules are good. Without some rules, all you have is mindless chaos, but I think that if you have a natural talent and good sense, you don’t necessarily need to worry about the rules; you can just trust your gut. The rules are there to help you the artist; they’re not there for you to serve them. And sometimes it’s good to break them.

If you hold too strictly to the rules, you run the risk of treating art the way a mechanic treats an engine; there’s no love or passion. Art isn’t a truck, it’s more like a wild horse; you have to break it in order to ride it, but you also have to let the horse be a horse.

Now, going to art school isn’t a bad thing; I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, but know that art school isn’t going to teach you everything you need to know, and it’s perfectly fine to just do it on your own, if you have the natural aptitude. If you don’t have the talent to begin with, art school won’t help you anyway. Sometimes you need to just trust your gut and bend the rules a little.

The great comic book and pulp artist, Frank Frazetta taught himself to draw as a young lad. He went to art school at only eight years old, but learned very little while he was there that he didn’t know already. Talking of his art teacher, Michael Falanga, Frazetta said:

“Well, he didn’t teach me anything, really. It was more like a club! And it had all kinds of people; they’d all suddenly turn up and sit there doing their thing! There were plaster casts of all the famous sculptures. And people would sit and either paint self-portraits, or paint and draw in charcoal; anything you wanted to do. And he’d just wander around, and come over, and give them a few tips.”

He went on to say that he learned more from watching and talking with his friends that he met at art school. Like Frazetta, I think it’s good to have artistic friends who you can trust, to whom you can show your work and ask “Does this look right to you?” and they can help you get where you want to be as an artist. Some scoff at my approach, but I’m out there doing something, perfecting my style, working on it, participating in the act of creation, while a lot of guys with formal training are just sitting on their hands.

And if you happen to be interested in hiring someone who is a self-starter, an all-natural, out there participating in creation, I’m your man. Just send me a message today and we can get started.