And everyone else too.
Having been impressed lately with Groon's task, and only too keenly aware of what is necessary in my own struggle to produce creatively, I wanted to post this quote from Barry Moser which I snagged from my brother-in-law's blog, who incidentally is struggling with his own revisioning process for a first novel.
"The most important advice I can give anyone - and forgive me if this seems glib - is to work. Work. Work. Work. Everyday, at the same time, for as long as you can take it - work, work, work.You can't depend on talent. I've taught for over thirty years and never met an untalented student. Talent is as common as house dust, and - in the long run--about as valuable. But nothing is as valuable as the habit of work, and work has to become a habit.
I advise anyone to listen to music. Listen to Bach's Art of the Fugue and The Goldberg Variations. Listen to them over and over, everyday, day after day until you begin to sense, if not understand, what Bach is up to. Then implement what you intuit from your listening into your own work. I don't care if you don't like classical music, or if you feel that it has nothing to do with what you do. Do it. It is invaluable. Let the music fill your mind. Let it flow over you and into you until you are aware of nothing else. Bach and others of his ilk will teach you form and structure and rhythm and all sorts of things you've never imagined, especially about the unexpected element--if you will only listen.
What else? Experiment and fail. Move on. Always keep in motion and finish the job, even if it's not exactly what you hoped it would be or not as good as it could be. The fact is that it will never be as good as it could be, and that's okay because it's all part of the never - ending, self-perpetuating growth process - and failure is the foundation of that process. I've done over two hundred books and not one of them is perfect. But I'll tell you this: I would rather have the two hundred and fifty-six imperfect books that mark the vectors of my journey through my art form than to have one perfect book that marks nothing but its own perfect self.
More I can't advise, except (as corny and prosaic as it may seem) to put love first in your life: love of your work, and of other people, and of yourself, and of whatever things of the spirit move you. Have fun and maintain a fierce sense of humor. There are few things so serious or important that they can't be laughed at, or even poked a little fun at.
And lastly, a short litany of dos and don'ts: Avoid the cute, corny and obvious in your work. Read Ben Shahn's The Shape of Content--a few times. Don't be afraid to do better work than you already do. Bathe and brush your teeth before an interview. Never underestimate the value of luck. Practice safe sex. Don't do heavy drugs. Don't get drunk and drive a car. Get plenty of sleep. Eat your greens. "
-Barry Moser
Barry Moser is a printmaker and illustrator. He currently serves on the faculty of RISD.
Jonah
Moby Dick
Illustrations for the Bible
Yeah, I could have chosen Bach for the song, but I believe the advice given above will hold for any artist with a certain depth of quality and integrity.
And I'll leave you with a slightly but not wholly unrelated question:
What if there were 20 or so beings, with the integrity and strength of action equal to Mahatma Gandhi, working simultaneously throughout the world....this place might just be a little different.
Wisdom
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Absolutely fantastic. I'm putting on the Bach and bookmarking this post, Thanks, Dz!
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Great Post. The raga, the prints and the prose.
I'll tell you one thing. You are thinking pretty damn straight for one up so late.
Now that I'm unemployed, I can see the value of work in many ways. Trying to work on the writing..movin' heavy boulders in my head.
Thanks for this.
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i think Mr. Moser has got it figured out pretty well :)
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Gotta agree about the work, and about finishing something and moving on, and pretty much all that stuff. I write five days a week, and at least one of those days (and sometimes more, depending on what kind of week I'm having) I'm just kind of doing it because it's my job and not because I feel a great spark of inspiration. Great post.
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Inspiring post. I quite agree with the work aspect.I have read Ben Shahn book however the Art Sprit by Robert Henri and Gist of Art by John Sloan and Art and Soul by Audrey Flack have influenced me more.Then there's Rudolf Arnheims series-Art and Perception, Visual Thinking that I continually reread from time to time. I have listened to Classical music alot while creating in the beginning years ,a practice I got in Art School.However now there is music that will move me just as well however I find there is a time that you need silence to think about what your doing so your own voice comes through.Great post to get me going to the studio on a Saturday morning, I had a feeling theres a number of artists on MOG.
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Ravi Shankar's stuff is for those golden moments.. gotta work!? (record scratch sound) man, more than i've been working.. impossible! cof cof can't bear the word "ilustrations" - god, been doing that all week. I'll try to keep up with that _dos_ and _don'ts_ list ;)
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wow. perfect timing. i loved the whole array, sketches, and quotes, esp : "Talent is as common as house dust, and – in the long run—about as valuable. But nothing is as valuable as the habit of work, and work has to become a habit."
I have been recently brainstorming my next career moves and paths, where love of the artists and talent fits with making enough money to feed myself.....and the truth is it is work work work and a bit of luck and a bit of help from friends who encourage you to pursue those dreams and worry about lunch later :)
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Dear Dz, once again, you brought a big fat grin to this old lady's face. Thank you, thank you for the great post. I have decided to create a new post for you. I hope to have it ready in an hour or so. It will be based, as you can probably guess, on Moser's quote regarding Bach. I agree with his turning towards Bach. I do it all the time and am, in fact, listening to him right now as we speak. It is because of this part of Moser's quote that I have decided to create a new post for you: "let it flow over you and into you until you aware of nothing else. Bach and others of his ilk will teach you form and structure . . ." I am going to attempt to give you a little tiny leg up on listening to Bach, and other music as well, and what exactly makes Bach sound like Bach vs. other composers or musicians not "of his ilk." I also hope to show you that just because Bach was a genius of the highest caliber, it does not mean we can't find form, rhythm and structure in the work of ever other composer or musician on the planet, because we can. (I, of course, realize that you are not saying that at all, and Moser really isn't either, but I do like to get people to see the same high caliber in all we hear.) We can and we do and it's proven on every page of this site. God, I'm all fired up. I'll see you in a bit. . . "Jaysus" I love MOG.
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Oh and P.S. I loved that you posted a Ravi Shankar mp3 vs. Bach which you could have done. It means you are going to see just what I am talking about next without my having to say it. But, I do like to talk, so fuggit. yours, again and say hi to the wifey. - C
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it's all very conflicting. don't you ever get sick of yourself? indulging in yourself, your ideas, assimilating others' ideas into your own? it all starts to feel LIKE process instead of it being a real process. like getting overly familiar with music result in a faster procession of it and we become aware of finding and exploring instead of unnwittingly doing it and absorbing it so more wholly in those first years. i admit, i'm leagues ahead as a graphic designer than i was a few years ago, at least mentally. but the whole culture of thinking like one leads to burnout. i just get sick of it. the more thought and 'idea' go into a design the further it strays from the instincts working on it, the same instinct that starts to grow and develop on its own based on what it absorbs. understanding something that deeply makes considerations of heirarchy and space almost incidental in a good design. i like his parting shots on how to keep your head level and not implode in yourself or stagnate, but to live and breathe the culture of good design as well as making it just overdoes it for me. i need breaks from myself. the thing about bach is great, but implies a specific elevation for that music... it's definitely not just classical that will teach you rhythm and structure. i argue that almost all music, barring the most foul and deadweight songs/tracks/compositions, have something to teach about a visual world through sound.
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Hear hear! I agree Rez. Bach ain't the only game. It's a good fuckin' game, though. Honestly, I listen to Bach all the time, but sometimes, there are days when I'd rather hear anything else, not analyze it and relax. But, I find equal joy in both. Analysis is great, so is just listening for the sake of it.
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Rez, thanks for chiming in. Articulate as always. But I just did not read it that way. For me the key phrase is "implement what you intuit"..... intuit by definition means to understand or work out by instinct. I did not take it that he meant, analyze it intellectually, but rather intuit the process of creating art, and through that intuition you may be able to reflect that in your own work. After all he is a visual artist and he is talking about music. Right there it cuts a bit of the obviously intellectual element out because you have to make a jump from (on the surface) radically different forms..... although I believe what he is saying is that Art is Art, when you delve a bit deeper. (And Carolyn you have demonstrated that visual/auditory connection quite nicely) I don't think you can ever fully understand the process intellectually anyways. I mean people write billions of words on criticism and art history and creation of various works....etc, but do they ever get to the essence of the act of creating a true work of art. I don't think so. What I thought he was advocating was, not indulge yourself, but precisely the opposite, that by forcing yourself to work, by going against habitual inclinations, laziness, etc... you create an internal friction, an internal energy, you are in effect going against yourself, in order to free up creative potential. You have to look at creativity as a form of energy, and most of our energy during our ordinary day goes into ordinary life activities, and if looked at somewhat objectively, most of these activities are completely superfluous. By advocating a regime of work like he does, it is pointing to a way to harness that energy. To direct it. Now does that make a good artist, no, not necessarily. There are other components involved of course. Your last paragraph begs a question which I really do not want to get involved in, but your assumption is that for the most part, all artists are equal. Or rather, art is judged solely on the basis of personal, subjective preference. And I would say, for the most part yes.... but then we are back to the question of what makes a work of art great.... is it only the context in which it sits, is it historically based, technique...etc, or is there some internal dynamic which great artists bring to a work which over and above any local considerations, something else shines through......a higher resonance.
I read a david lynch interview in which he was talking about "Inland Empire" he had this to say about his work:
“There’s another thing I’ve been talking about, this thing of harmonics. Sometimes I think it’s possible to be true to an idea and that idea could be seen as the fundamental notes of a chord, and if you’re really true to those and translate them until they feel correct, then also the harmonics from higher things might be true, because the fundamental notes are true. So harmonics that you didn’t even know about might be true. Now somebody in the audience is getting a more sublime, cosmic kind of interpretation. Ten years from now, I might see the same film and get that. If you’re true to the thing, you don’t know what you’re doing at all levels. It’s kind of strange.”
That to me is quite profound, as he is talking about something quite impersonal, and it applies to all forms of artistic creation.
Carolyn, you are in a little different boat, because you actually have the intellectual tools to analyze a Bach piece, in terms of music theory. So I would say what you feel is correct. Leave it and don't analyze because that most certainly will get in the way of intuition. Maybe that's why I picked Ravi Shankar, because its not something most westerners are able to analyze, or are even that familiar with.
Well I've been at this a while and my daughter just got home, so I gotta go be a daddu, everyone else, asrati, cody, cp3, andrea, indiepixie, brendan, lyrikhan,
thanks.
A stimulating conversation.
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errr I gotta go be a daddy.....not a daddu
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Oh, you know what, I might contradict myself here in a sec. But, I'll add this. Moser is, I think, saying that talent and creativity is a muscle that you must exercise. So, when you just rely on innate talent alone it's just not enough. Michael Jordan is talented as hell, but he keeps practicing in order to keep those muscles working. A long distance runner will lose their edge if they skip a week. Etc. So, exercising a creative muscle every day is necessary. I like that idea a lot, though I wish I'd follow that advice.
Dz, your choosing Ravi is exactly what made me happy because since I don't understand that music, I am actually able to relax and let it wash over me as Moser suggests about others listening to Bach. Western art music for me is not the least bit relaxing. Nor is pop, rock, jazz, et al. I just can't relax because I studied it too much. But, music that I don't understand, I can just let that go my intuition and simply enjoy it without analyzing it. So, I think I get what Rez means about studying so much. Sometimes you just want to relax and listen (or look) without being forced to think so much. That being said, though, I just spent my afternoon getting a thinkin'-post ready. That will be my present for you Daddy Dz.
This post made my super happy and super thinky. Thanks again.
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I know a bit thinky for me also, its in my nature. Gotta watch that.
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Rez, after thinking a bit..... I agree with the statement... you need a break from yourself. That's what I meant to say also, just in a different way, with a different interpretation of the quote ....and it does make sense to me how you were interpreting Moser's quote.
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oh goodness, how to respond: it's funny that i get called articulate because i'm often told the opposite, so i always think i need to clarify some things. i think absorption is different than analyzation, whereas analyzation is much more deliberate than absorption. i believe, at least personally, that this necessarily detracts from the basic, fundamental understanding that absorption implies, and narrows it down into an "understood" thing rather than an experienced thing, and that robs it of the various myriad directions that experience could be interpreted as artistically. so then, working against that means forcing things out into the open; deliberatly naming it and putting it in a place. beign in the last year of college i know i start to use past templates of myself in order to get things in on time, and it makes me feel pretty low. most of the time i manage pretty well though, but i know how i am when placed on high demand over a period of time and i dont like what it turns into. there's no time for what i feel is essential gestation. all ideas have to be used that minute. so what this is leading to is trying to say that i'm not trying to equate shutting off from analyzation as shutting off my brain at all. i'm just advocating a more natural process. i'm also not, NOT, trying to place all creative works on the same acceptable plane of subjectivity, but i do think it all has something to teach. bad works, overtly bad works can be valuable in demonstrating what about it is so terrible, and then now, there's this raw concept of what makes something awful sitting in front of you. are you going to use it in something eventually and twist it for your own ends or just learn to avoid it? i leave it at tha and just make a mental file of its aspects as a potential tool. i can also assert that i think mr. oizo's brand of surrealistically uncomfortable style can be just as creatively rich as a classical peice. i was asked to do a "creative and dynamic" magazine spread and, having had time to lovingly absorb "moustache/half a scissor" for a couple of months, the timing created one of the ugliest, most experimental, and ultimately the most thrilling typographic exercise that my instructor was, not to be too modest, pretty floored by. i believe that a natural inclination to be an artist, designer, musician, whatever, means that the absorption and "muscle" of creativity is constantly being exercised, but an overt and constant AWARENESS of that exercise can just lead to burnout for me.
i like the davind lynch quote a lot. the more fully absorbed a work like his is, the more fundamentally true and exciting a different work is that uses that, among other elements as fundamentally ingrained, as a jumping off point. i think the honest and true incorporation of a work or an aesthetic could be the critical exploration of getting "to the essence of the act of creating a true work of art" for that work. but that criticism would be so subsumed into the endeavor itself that it still functions as the artist intended, and not necessarily as a critical analysis.
(which explains why 'tim and erics awesome show' is ridiculously brilliant to me)
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Quietly acquiescing with the striking balance of intuition and recipe for artistry.
How about some cheesy tune? No conduzcas bebido
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Michael.....Just what the doctor ordered
Rez......I know what you're saying, I have not been in an academic setting for a long time, but I remember it well....on the one hand I thrived there, and on the other hand I felt that other aspects of myself were not being addressed, which is the main reason I did not go on to grad school, and instead I build cabinets and furniture. It is hard to allow a gestation process to occur naturally when you are pulled so many different ways, with deadlines and papers.... and all that. I'm kind of at a turning point now, and am ready for something different, probably could go back to school given the opportunity,in what, is a good question.
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Sorry I got to this so late. I love this. I've printed it out. There are several people in my life who need these words. You're a gem, Nick.
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I had to come back and see more of this post. This has been an ongoing question for me since I started creating art. I have enjoyed the discussion the likes that I have not seen since I went to Art School. Thanks
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Beautiful. It moves me when I hear words that communicate so clearly ideas that are mixed up in my head. I'm a strong believer that work makes us better people and the human mind is able to work out almost any problem we face in our creative endeavors.
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A gem indeed. Excellent post and comments!
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all true... being the perfectionist i am its never good enough, but i manage to do the job the best i can... which should be more than enough. very nice raga, usually those compositions get very dark at one point, but your selection is just right.
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Thanks Ivy, Sauce and SunnyD, yes it was inspiring to me so I though I would share.
Danny, I know what you mean, never good enough, but just gotta know when to give that mental thing up and let it be. It's the effort that counts.
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yeah, agree. its walking the path that counts and what i learn by walking it.