Would you agree with this...
polycounter lvl 11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Glass
I've really started to get a sense of this lately. Its a big, not easily conveyed or related, idea.
I'm wondering Ira's attempt to give it form there is insightful to anyone, or if you see it as just a canned quote; a no brainier?
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but... does any artist ever feel they have "arrived". Everyone knows you've got to keep practising but is there ever a point where you say, "HA!, I'm good now. I don't need to get better any more".
For me I don't foresee an end to the learning or the ambition to create something better than I believe I can achieve.
Word.
In a letter to his friend at 75 the artiist exclaimed, I think I finally understand colour!
I know that I'll never be as good as I want to be, because I find whenever you felt like you've "leveled up", so many more doors open up that you hadn't realized were there before. So you keep on exploring, learning more and more as you go on, and I think THAT is why it's so fun and rewarding to be an artist (or to do anything you love and are passionate about).
And of course two years from that you realize the good was really just a new phase of bad that you were working through
Wow cool, glad you guys connected with that. Glad to share,
Ah yes the 10000 law, I generally agree.
However, its not just about putting in time, but putting in QUALITY time. By pursuing your dreams you are designing a future for yourself, and the future is ultimately unknowable.
Goals are made to revised and changed, they are not set in stone, they are just beacons to guide us along the way, as we change and grow so should they.
The important thing is to never stop moving forward, know thyself, as well as you know your craft, and do everything within your power to achieve what you love. The rest is gravy.
I shall start up again in the summer though, as I think its a good way of putting out different pieces and hopefully learning something new with each piece, even if the finished piece isn't that great.
pottery class divided in 2.
one half got graded on how many pots they made.
the other half on how good 1 pot was.
so one half churned out pots like mad
and the other half worked on one pot the whole time
guess which half had better pots at the end?
the half that churned pots constantly, because they kept getting better at it.
With that said, it's just that the more you work at it, the more confident you feel about your abilities, which can be interpreted as your "arrival" in a way, which sorta coincides with the 10,000 hrs idea. Nevertheless you'll certainly not be the ultimate demiurgic force of your chosen field, but rather a talented artist that creates things that are generally considered good by peers. Also, When you can say to yourself, "tonight I'm going to make something" and then just do it, not because you're trying to improve yourself with the particular project, but rather just for the desire to make it, and the end result is personally satisfying and publicly considered of good quality (Especially those who you feel are more talented than yourself), then at that point I think it's fair to say you have arrived to new level in your abilities, whether you'd like to admit it or not.
It's gloomy to think that you'll never be a good artist and you must always improve yourself. I think a lot of artists are plagued with that thought. It is true, that there will always be room for improvement, in your mind or other people's, but there is a point where you'll become good if you put effort into it. Talented artists of sound mind and decent enough self esteem know that they are, in fact, talented. It's just sensible polite modesty keeping them running around telling people "Yeah, I'm the shit, deal with it!". However, in creative fields there are people like that, and even though they've got skills (sometimes they don't though)...no one likes them anyway.
Just to clarify some things (I have a irking feeling that the above sentiment will potentially get reamed if I don't). I am just saying that there is a point where an artist who tries does become something that is considered good, and it's okay to feel like you are actually talented. I'm not saying that one shouldn't ever stop continuing to push themselves creatively in as many directions as they can manage. just trying to raise some spirits versus the soul crushing "If you think you're good it's still not good enough...and there never will be a good enough"
Although the whole "Good enough" thing is pretty funny considering if the Commercial Art world had a crest "Good enough" would be on it in bold print. But that's irrelevant to what I just blabbed about.
in that respect I agree.
BUT I do not agree with the concept of 10000 hours or going through a big volume of work to get better.
quality is more important than quantity in my opinion.
don't just finish a piece for the sake of finishing it. it is the same as not finishing it if the final quality you achieved is far below what you think is good. rather, focus on one piece and keep working on it till you think is it really good.
This is the formula!
PERSEVERANCE + EFFORT = SUCCESS (defeated people will say you born with talent ^^)
put 10000 of hours in perseverance and you are done! maybe... because in art we are always improving day by day.
Hits a mark, and helps
Almost as annoying as talking. Like. That.
Exactly! I think us artists need to have an inspiring goal in mind to keep pushing our own boundaries. I can tell you for a fact that I'll never be truly 100% satisfied with my own work, personally and/or professionally. The second you start thinking "Yeah, I'm the best" is the time to stop and really think that through. If the thought stays, do yourself a favor and stop being an artist altogether. You're just an average cock otherwise.
That rocket science?
Yeah. I was going to post about the typesetting. Glad I'm not alone. Made my eyes hurt
I can't say I get behind the 10000 hour rule, either. Seems like a rather arbitrary number that people seem to cling to as the absolute truth :P