July 21, 2020

Quiet, Please

In tennis or golf, the crowd is disciplined to be quiet while the athletes are performing. Between shots or rallies, the umpire (or the little guys that hold the quiet signs at the golf) are in control. They help to give the athletes focus.

But artists working alone in their studios (or in my case, the ‘spare room’ in my house) don’t have an umpire. There’s no person holding up a sign to tell others to quieten down, or go away, or stop inviting us out to social occasions that we’d rather not attend but feel obliged to anyway. Artists need to find their own focus. Control their own environment. Remove distractions so that they can hit that winning shot. We need to make our own quiet because no one else is going to do it for us.

Other observations
November 5, 2024

Consistent or resistant

Is my aversion to change about my wanting to be consistent? Or, am I actually being resistant and am I losing something because of that?

October 22, 2024

Critically unacclaimed

What do reviews really tell us about the work? Does it matter who’s reviewing?

October 15, 2024

Proper technique

If I’m learning a new art form, do I focus on technical correctness first or building an emotional connection with the medium?

October 8, 2024

The importance of mess

Physical art materials are messy and inconvenient. But isn’t that the point?

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