Comments on: Is Your Best Work Ahead of You?

By: Bruce DeBoer

Bruce DeBoer — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:29:14 +0000

@scott – I try the same but not sure I always succeed.
@eric – I was going for a mindset in the first paragraph. With no history of work or expectations, what would you do? When posed to myself I’m not completely convinced I’d stay on the same course with my work – that tells me that there is something in me that isn’t emerging.

Certainly the beauty of creative works is that they are enduring, inspiring, and are the roots of future creations.

By: Eric Hatch

Eric Hatch — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:22:15 +0000

I understand that the attempt here is to free oneself from others’ expectations. But if you write (or photograph or paint) ONLY for yourself, you lose touch with that which is external to the self. In other words, you risk becoming a kee-kee bird, which flies in ever decreasing spirals until it flies up its own ass and cries out “kee, kee, kee-RIST it’s dark in here!”

One line of thought, very hard to accept (which doesn’t invalidate it) is that the ONLY way we have an identity is through the collective responses of our community to us. Without a community, we vanish, goes this argument. My own belief is that you should shoot / draw/ write for yourself FIRST, but understand that until the work is out there in the world it has no effective existence. (“Effective” means brings things about or causes things.)

I do a lot of photo restoration …. it pays the bills, and it REALLY registers with customers. In essence, and to their way of seeing, I am literally bringing loved ones back to life. Check the slideshow here: http-//bit.ly/5j8TkT

Basically, many writers and photographers are really insecure about their stuff, and they DO try to hard to please others. But it doesn’t follow from that that they should pretend no one out there exists …. what if everyone out there pretended YOU don’t exist?

This entire problem is made more complicated by the lack of control we as artists face when we send our goods (read, a portion of ourselves) out there for others to judge. Scary! It’s why I no longer review the work of beginners, because I know they don’t want critique, they want reassurance … which in conscience I may or may snot be able to give them.

So, I say to you: DON’T pretend all your stuff has vanished. NOW go do the art you believe in. Much harder, but ultimately much more likely to be rewarding.

By: Scott Webb

Scott Webb — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:06:14 +0000

While I as in architecture school at Ryerson University, I would always say that my best project was my next project.

I truly believe this.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:19:27 +0000

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by brucedeboer: Is Your Best Work Ahead of You? – Maria Schneider tells a story: http://www.permissiontosuck.com/your-best-work/...