Meet DeVanté Givens

We recently connected with DeVanté Givens and have shared our conversation below.

Hi DeVanté, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?

I couldn’t see myself doing anything else that wasn’t art related, so I knew that I’d have to dedicate a significant amount of time to teach myself new concepts and skills. The road to becoming a more recognized artist has been a bumpy one, with a lot of challenges. In a lot of ways it makes me think of Sisyphus pushing the boulder up a hill. We all have our own hill, and mine was pushing myself to develop my skills and overcome these challenges.

Traditional learning was never easy growing up. Having ADHD it was hard to stay focused on what was in front of me, even when it was something I was interested in learning.These were some of the times I felt like my hill was too steep to conquer, but I had to remind myself that any new skill was going to come with its challenges. I needed to remind myself that if I slid down my hill, I had to pick myself back up and try again. Like exercising, any muscle that hasn’t been exerted before, it was going to result in a rigorous workout. The steepest hill for me, in this instance, was learning how to create background art.

Background art was never my strong skill but I wanted to include backgrounds for the characters I created to help the overall design.

While using Blender this was possible. Yet there were still other elements I had to learn to understand such as composition, lighting and rendering, adding hurdles to the already steep journey ahead. The process to learn this new skill was spending countless hours researching videos on YouTube, talking to other 3d artists, making my own attempts, and failing. I believe the ability to fail and repeat the same process, or making another attempt to push the boulder up the hill, made the concept of self discipline much easier as I went on. Even when there were moments where I failed, I was already figuring out ways to tackle it at a different angle until I got it.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a freelance character designer under the business name Artworks by DeVanté. I’ve been doing freelance for almost 4 years now and I still enjoy bringing people’s ideas on screen with character designs and other illustrations. Recently, my passion to create has led me to developing digital art brushes for artists to use and will be sold on Gumroad in July. If you’re looking for crisp line art or a marker brush, to simulate drawing on paper, pick up my brush set for just $5.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Patience, open to criticism, and learning when to take a break. Those concepts go hand and hand with each other because it allows me to take a step back and breath but most importantly, keeps me from burning out and losing the creative spark for drawing. Whether it’s art, YouTube or streaming, never expect things to happen overnight and make it a habit to not compare yourself with others. When I first used Instagram, my confidence would plummet due to not getting the likes or follows I wanted. Eventually I had to learn that success is not an overnight process.

Being open to criticism is a very necessary tool to grow as an artist. I could never be the type of artist without the help of fellow artists who are better than me. There are moments when ego prevents us from learning but understand that ego destroys growth and in order to work with other artists, there has to be room to make corrections, even when we don’t see it at that moment.

Lastly, sometimes we work ourselves to the bone trying to get a project done, because we want to keep our engagement up on social media, while not realizing how it affects our health. Late last year, I had a health warning that forced me to immediately change my routine to keep myself healthy. There are many ways to have a healthy balance with art. If possible, invest into a standing desk or take a break after a couple hours and go on a walk. Our goals are important but our health shouldn’t come as a sacrifice to achieve our goals.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Occasionally, I still struggle with imposter syndrome. I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to tell my story and give advice but in the back of my mind, part of me is questioning why me?

I’m sure every artist faces this issue when having your work perceived but I definitely have a habit of stumbling on my own shadow because of it.

Through self assurance and support of my friends and family, I’m learning to get out of my own way. While there may be times of self doubt, the most important thing is reminding myself that my art is able to make a positive impact on others. That is a feeling that can’t be ignored or forgotten. I want my art to inspire and reach other aspiring artists to show them to keep going, it’s possible to excel even when it doesn’t seem in your favor.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://devantegivens.net
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/artworksbydevante
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devantegivens
• Other: https://cara.app/artworksbydevante