Shot down in flames…
November 8, 2010After submitting our work (see last entry) we were asked to choose a piece to display on the wall. Then, our group filed next door to inspect the other class’s work.
As you might imagine we were fairly critical and occasionally heaped praise on something. Once we had demolished each individual work – “too colourful”, “not small enough”, “why no capitals?” etc – we shuffled back to our domain to see if the other class had been just as savage.
I have to be honest and say I was pretty confident, sure my unique vision would dazzle. Wrong.
Post-it notes had been applied to each piece with a summary of the other group’s crit and I was pretty horrified to read on mine the pithy legend “Not a Poster”.
Later I was told by a classmate my face was a picture but after the initial shock I began to accept it more gracefully, there wasn’t a definite focal point to the work and – apparently – it was an idea that a few of the other students had considered (but not employed funnily enough) so in thought at least, it wasn’t original. Still, I though “Not a Poster” was about as harsh a criticism as could be given considering the brief so I was a bit disheartened.
So the next day as they were being removed from the wall by the course leader john Baird he brought mine over and said ‘”Not a poster” Robert? Limited. Only a limited imagination would say that.’
He then went on to say that we weren’t expected to be simply creating work that “looked like” professional work and that thinking for ourselves was the most important thing.
Like I say, I did take the crit on board, the last thing I want to do is attempt to please everyone but maybe’ll endeavour to make my future stuff slightly more immediate.
Nevertheless, it was pretty vindicating to hear that from John.
There will always be people who criticize just for the protection of their own opinions. But, opinions are like assholes – everyone´s got one – if opinions were on the stock market they would be the most worthless commodity you could have.
It certainly makes a difference to me when I can recognize that I´ve made a mistake rather that I am a mistake. A subtle difference, but paramount to maintaining your integrity and self belief.
I like your teachers assessment, he knows it´s not what you can do but, what you can be.
Nevertheless, it troubles me that you say that the last thing you want to do is please everyone, when in my experience setting clear boundaries seems to be challenging for you. And to me, `endeavouring to make your stuff more immediate`, is still a slip in the direction of, `like me love me accept me` – at some point it´s got to be ” fuck ´em , I´m doing what´s right for me. if you like it , good – if you don´t , good”.
If you trust your intuition about what´s right for you and stop trying to jump through the hoop of someone else´s needs, creativity will bloom within you, as it has no choice to do anything but.
In the work below, it took this guy untill his late 40´s, I think, before he wrote this, but it´s a fundamental shift in his maturity. Print it out and hang it in front of your work desk,and next time you feel that urge to conform to some one else´s ideas ( including mine ) read this out slowly and loud ; with balls ! And intuit what´s right for you.
Escape. by DH Lawrence
When we get out of the glass bottles of our own ego,
and when we escape like squirrels from turning in the cages of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright, but things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves.
Cool, unlying life will rush in, and passion will make our bodies taut with power, we shall stamp our feet with new power and old things will fall down, we shall laugh, and institutions will curl up like burnt paper.
Your Godfather.