LJ Topic Week 18 Unsatisfied
Mar. 13th, 2008 09:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerI find it spooky that a number of topics in this competition are reflecting things I have been thinking about for a while before the topic was announced. This is something I have been reflecting on for a while in terms of my own life and my artist work.
You can look at something I have made and where you see a wonderful puppet or a dead-on copy of a costume, all I can see are all the flaws within that piece. I know the seam that is not straight. I know where I had to cheat because I ran out of fabric. I can see the imperfections within the clay I have used to sculpt a face. When it comes to my art, I do admit to being a perfectionist. But I think it is a good thing in the long run.
Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” I heartily agree. This is true in any form of art. For with complacency comes stagnation within the work of the artist.
I found this to be true as a book editor. I have authors that I have worked with that are willing to work on the manuscript and improve upon what they have written. I have had other authors who informed me upon giving me the manuscript that the only thing to be fixed were the typos and nothing else. Some of those I have worked very hard with to get them to see the possibility for improvement within the work. Others have put out yet another book in their series that is almost just like the previous book of their series but they think that is seriously what their fans want. As a reader, I tend to drop them like a hot rock. As an editor, I watch their sales numbers drop each and every book to where the next time I go to the agent for a new contract, if we are not just going to let the series go, the number I give for the advance is either the same or even less than the previous one because the books are no longer earning out at that level. And it is sad because as an editor I want to pay my authors good money for their work but I have to take into account how much money the author is going to earn for us into the equation because publishing is a business.
I have also seen this stagnation with musicians. They have one great thing that catapults them into the public eye and they go on to, basically, try to repeat their success which they may accomplish for the short term but the long term only remember them within the short term. The musicians who have gone much further and become icons of the industry have re-invented themselves over and over again. They strive to try something new that might fall flat but they will find new listeners even with that. Some of our greatest were never satisfied with what they produced. They continue to explore what is possible in music.
As an artist, I can honestly say that I have not reached my peak. There is still a lot for me to learn and explore in the various mediums that I work in. I know there is room for improvement and I strive for this. I have been going to science fiction conventions since I was a teenager and I have seen a lot of art shows in my time. I have watched some artists come onto the scene with a new idea and blow the socks off of everyone who sees the art. The next step is the more interesting one for me to watch. Do they continue to make the same thing every art show until the market is saturated that they slowly fade from the art show or do they continue to try new things with their work? I also keep a mental count of how many people copy the style, usually badly, which again helps saturate the market so this style or form or art vanishes again. There are some artists that have their signature looks and they know they are known for that but they still try new things and expand their fan base.
Being unsatisfied is a positive thing in the arts. It allows us to grow as artists and see the potential in our work even with the flaws that only we seem to see. In all honesty, I'm unsatisfied with this essay but I feel that I need to let it go at this point and be what it is, allowing the reader to decide if they are satisfied with it or not.
You can look at something I have made and where you see a wonderful puppet or a dead-on copy of a costume, all I can see are all the flaws within that piece. I know the seam that is not straight. I know where I had to cheat because I ran out of fabric. I can see the imperfections within the clay I have used to sculpt a face. When it comes to my art, I do admit to being a perfectionist. But I think it is a good thing in the long run.
Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” I heartily agree. This is true in any form of art. For with complacency comes stagnation within the work of the artist.
I found this to be true as a book editor. I have authors that I have worked with that are willing to work on the manuscript and improve upon what they have written. I have had other authors who informed me upon giving me the manuscript that the only thing to be fixed were the typos and nothing else. Some of those I have worked very hard with to get them to see the possibility for improvement within the work. Others have put out yet another book in their series that is almost just like the previous book of their series but they think that is seriously what their fans want. As a reader, I tend to drop them like a hot rock. As an editor, I watch their sales numbers drop each and every book to where the next time I go to the agent for a new contract, if we are not just going to let the series go, the number I give for the advance is either the same or even less than the previous one because the books are no longer earning out at that level. And it is sad because as an editor I want to pay my authors good money for their work but I have to take into account how much money the author is going to earn for us into the equation because publishing is a business.
I have also seen this stagnation with musicians. They have one great thing that catapults them into the public eye and they go on to, basically, try to repeat their success which they may accomplish for the short term but the long term only remember them within the short term. The musicians who have gone much further and become icons of the industry have re-invented themselves over and over again. They strive to try something new that might fall flat but they will find new listeners even with that. Some of our greatest were never satisfied with what they produced. They continue to explore what is possible in music.
As an artist, I can honestly say that I have not reached my peak. There is still a lot for me to learn and explore in the various mediums that I work in. I know there is room for improvement and I strive for this. I have been going to science fiction conventions since I was a teenager and I have seen a lot of art shows in my time. I have watched some artists come onto the scene with a new idea and blow the socks off of everyone who sees the art. The next step is the more interesting one for me to watch. Do they continue to make the same thing every art show until the market is saturated that they slowly fade from the art show or do they continue to try new things with their work? I also keep a mental count of how many people copy the style, usually badly, which again helps saturate the market so this style or form or art vanishes again. There are some artists that have their signature looks and they know they are known for that but they still try new things and expand their fan base.
Being unsatisfied is a positive thing in the arts. It allows us to grow as artists and see the potential in our work even with the flaws that only we seem to see. In all honesty, I'm unsatisfied with this essay but I feel that I need to let it go at this point and be what it is, allowing the reader to decide if they are satisfied with it or not.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-13 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-13 08:59 pm (UTC)I think you've brought up some very interesting points and observations. I really admire you and like to hear your take on the world. I think of myself as an artist foremost, even if I am not successful as defined by the world. I define my success by continuing to write, draw, sing, dance and express my creativity despite the pressures to conform and the pragmatism of others. I know how difficult it is to find work doing what I love, but does that mean I should stop doing it? While I'd love to be paid for it, I tend to do things simply because it pleases me. I am my own worst critic, and I used to be such a perfectionist. Becoming a parent taught me that I don't have to be perfect, that it was more important to look at things as a work-in-progress instead of tossing them into the recycle bin.
(Artistically, this point was hammered home recently when I deleted all of my novels and fanfiction in a fit of despair and could not retrieve them later on when I found a solution to what was bothering me about the piece.)
*suggests watching Martian Child if you have not already done so* It sums things up nicely for me.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 06:07 pm (UTC)Good entry, definitely
no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 06:44 pm (UTC)BTW, who's your new partner? I want to go vote, and I don't know who else to look for!
no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 07:53 pm (UTC)Oh, and neat entry too. *grin*
no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-15 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-16 03:32 am (UTC)Anyway, great job!