I agree with that, with the caveat that one needs to keep things with which to make art ready-at-hand. The world may be a canvas, but only those who constantly use it will make beauty.
There's a couple of books I picked up that I generally found useful.
The first, Art & Fear was a recomndation from an art teacher who has it as required reading. The other one is The View From The Studio Door which I read on a plane in about three hours between dozing off.
You don't need to read them as they spend about 200 pages combined saying what you just said. They're nice reads though.
Unfortunatly they don't have much advice on the day job + art job problem.
Thank you for the recommendations... I've been eyeing those books for years.uberdionysusMay 25 2006, 19:35:50 UTC
From what people I've met say, you and I have to hold two full time jobs: one for money, one as an entrepreneur. I think that's why so many artists start right after grad school - it's one of the few times the non-rich will have the time and money to work at a studio full-time.
It used to be that artists weren't picked up by galleries until their 30s because there wasn't many galleries and the art world didn't trust youth. That's not true anymore, but still... it's hard to hold two jobs and skip out on social life.
Thanks for this, I was tormented for years about the fact that I wasn't "naturally good" at anything, and just reently came to question the notion of being innately talented. I particularly appreciated the paragraph about doing what you love. I will be sending this article to my mother who keeps insisting I go to law or nursing school.
It's funny because most people don't assume that individuals are 'naturally' gifted at law or medicine, yet everyone assumes it when it comes to sports and the arts. No one sees the amount of WORK that's involved to get the basic skills and to understand the field in which you work.
Everyone wants to be a musician, for example, without realizing that it's a lot of work - even to start a shitty punk band. It takes LOTS of dedication and drive and, eventually, talent.
I feel like people believe in natural gifts when it comes to any displayable ability. I guess maybe it truly was a bunch of artists and athletes who came up with that idea to pull themselves up from the bottom rungs. Good going I'd say. Ironically enough, I've never truly given any serious thought to being a musician or a performer, I think you have to have a special balance of narcissism and insanity to want to do that sort of thing. I always wanted my natural ability to be either athletics or magic.
There's this weird divide between the stuff that our society deems 'magical' and the stuff it doesn't. It doesn't deem politics magical, yet it's clear that most people aren't suited for it, and that most wouldn't like it.
But art and sports... jeesh. It's like golden monkeys can pop out of their ass and sing Ave Maria. I wish that elevation and mysticism to go away.
nice that you brought up michelangelo. people have this illusion of michelangelo as a genius partly because he deliberately destroyed most sketches he made so that his finished works seem like athena bursting out of zeus's head, fully formed
( ... )
I give Michelangelo props - I think he more than anyone elevated artists above the role of 'artisan.'
And I hate when people (like my mom) say, "But can't you just paint on the side?" A banker asked me that, and I said, "Do you really think JPMorgan would let you be a risk analyst on the weekend?"
That drove the point home.
It's a career and it takes the same amount of work to be successful as any career.
But I think their study points out that people who study math and who don't like it, don't put any effort into learning it. I've learned that I can teach anyone who wants-to-draw, how-to-draw. The only people I can't teach are the ones who tell me (and themselves), "I can't draw." It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they will refuse all lessons to the contrary.
"And I hate when people (like my mom) say, "But can't you just paint on the side?" A banker asked me that, and I said, "Do you really think JPMorgan would let you be a risk analyst on the weekend?"
That drove the point home.
It's a career and it takes the same amount of work to be successful as any career."
well f u c k. I've probably insulted my bf about a millions times now...
You simply can NOT do it on the side - well, you can do ANYTHING on the side, but you'll never be a successful doctor, banker, lawyer, if you do it 'on the side.' Same with artist / writer / actor.
>Anders Ericsson, a psychology professor at Florida State University further devastates our society's belief in the importance of talent and genius.
ah'm down w/ his conclusions, but ah don't think they really "devastate" our society's belief. "Practice makes perfect" and "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" are received wisdom in our society, especially outside th arts.--mza.
Chalk it up to hyperbole.uberdionysusMay 25 2006, 19:48:24 UTC
But I'm talking about how people think that everything is talent in the arts. You tell them the Picasso quote, "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working," or the Edison quote, "Great accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work," they'll just stop and say, "Yeah, but talent is everything! I can't even draw a stick figure!"
I always want to get up in their face and scream, "BULLSHIT!"
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The first, Art & Fear was a recomndation from an art teacher who has it as required reading. The other one is The View From The Studio Door which I read on a plane in about three hours between dozing off.
You don't need to read them as they spend about 200 pages combined saying what you just said. They're nice reads though.
Unfortunatly they don't have much advice on the day job + art job problem.
Reply
It used to be that artists weren't picked up by galleries until their 30s because there wasn't many galleries and the art world didn't trust youth. That's not true anymore, but still... it's hard to hold two jobs and skip out on social life.
Reply
Reply
Everyone wants to be a musician, for example, without realizing that it's a lot of work - even to start a shitty punk band. It takes LOTS of dedication and drive and, eventually, talent.
Reply
Ironically enough, I've never truly given any serious thought to being a musician or a performer, I think you have to have a special balance of narcissism and insanity to want to do that sort of thing. I always wanted my natural ability to be either athletics or magic.
Reply
But art and sports... jeesh. It's like golden monkeys can pop out of their ass and sing Ave Maria. I wish that elevation and mysticism to go away.
Reply
Reply
And I hate when people (like my mom) say, "But can't you just paint on the side?"
A banker asked me that, and I said, "Do you really think JPMorgan would let you be a risk analyst on the weekend?"
That drove the point home.
It's a career and it takes the same amount of work to be successful as any career.
But I think their study points out that people who study math and who don't like it, don't put any effort into learning it. I've learned that I can teach anyone who wants-to-draw, how-to-draw. The only people I can't teach are the ones who tell me (and themselves), "I can't draw." It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they will refuse all lessons to the contrary.
Reply
A banker asked me that, and I said, "Do you really think JPMorgan would let you be a risk analyst on the weekend?"
That drove the point home.
It's a career and it takes the same amount of work to be successful as any career."
well f u c k. I've probably insulted my bf about a millions times now...
that's just great, now I feel like an a s s hole
Reply
You simply can NOT do it on the side - well, you can do ANYTHING on the side, but you'll never be a successful doctor, banker, lawyer, if you do it 'on the side.' Same with artist / writer / actor.
Reply
ah'm down w/ his conclusions, but ah don't think they really "devastate" our society's belief. "Practice makes perfect" and "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" are received wisdom in our society, especially outside th arts.--mza.
Reply
I always want to get up in their face and scream, "BULLSHIT!"
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