I amazed myself and my friends by not obsessing about, talking about or doing any actual work for an entire week. But a topic came up in regards to art in general that I am finding especially relevant as I start experimenting with new work, that is editing and the art of self critique.
I find it especially important to revitalize my critical eyes, I haven't had very much time to make fresh work or experiment since starting the studio a few years ago, and I am feeling kind of rusty. I put out some work that was not fully fleshed out in recent months, and though it is important to acknowledge that immature work happens and has its place, it isn't really an excuse.
I think the conversation could be boiled down to this sentiment: after you garner some success in the art or music world, it could be very easy to think that everything you make is gold. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Everything an artist makes is not amazing, in fact it has been noted that my "recycle bin" is usually overflowing with more work than my shelves. New ideas take years for me to flesh out.
It is important to look at your work periodically, to think about your intent and craftsmanship at the very minimum. I have noticed that even in my production work, a periodic self critique can come in quite handy. Subtle changes take place over time, and some aren't visually pleasing or useful.
I am currently asking myself these questions in regards to new work:
is it pleasing to me and why?
does it fit cohesively with my work, or does it call for a change in direction?
(in other words, if someone else looked at it, would they be able to tell heather knight made it?)
what was my intent and did I achieve it?
how could I improve this piece?
am I interested in pursuing this idea further?
technically, did i use the correct process, if not, what would that be?
who or what was I inspired by? am i copying or drawing inspiration? how can i make this idea more or my own?
***here are a few shots of the beginning of the first maquette for some installation work I am planning***
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6 comments:
An excellent post! I find myself wanting to ask those questions most intently when I'm rushed to fill shelves with the expected and there's no time to pay proper attention to the answers. I have been trying to include specific time to do some self critique because otherwise it gets swept away in the tide of "thing that must be done".
It is very difficult to rein yourself in when on a heavy production cycle!!!!!
Its pretty difficult to even feel like you are being creative when you have to pump it out so fast it makes your head spin!!
xo
A fabulous post! Between marketing, order processing and the rest of life, it's hard to take that step back.
I have been trying to do this lately as well. I want the work I present to be quality and to represent me well. For a while I was just pumping stuff out, rushing to add new work. Now I am sitting on things for a while, manipulating the ideas so that when I put them out there, they will be well-thought-out and solid.
These are all great questions! I have the copying/originality discussion with myself before I make any exploratory piece. I demand some form of individuality in how I use any technique.
I've let go of whether it fits my body of work this year, and let myself use more glazes. i'll reassess how that is working next winter.
Excellent post! Lots of things to think about. I try to at least preserve the technical quality of the work. I find that keeping on top of the creative quality is much more of a challenge.
I think their is a sectionin the book "Art and Fear" where they discuss the topic of making work after you achieve some success. I'm paraphrasing, but the authors say that people think that after you have "arrived," that all your doubts, fears, questioning, and worries disappear, and that brilliant work just flows like wine. It's not true, as the authors clarify.
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