My biblionautic chums and friends.
I fail.
In the time that I now have to myself in the studio and in the old noggin that passes for my head.. which by default contains my brain and all that goes with that, I have time to question what I do and why I do it (amongst other things). The other day one tiny voice that popped into the uninterrupted cacophony of voices that jostle to be heard posed a simple question 'Is failure part of the creative process?' Well, after some time dwelling on this point.... I believe it is part of the creative process. And, if I am honest, I feel it is as important as the success of the creative process.
In the age we live, failure is talked less and less about. It has become a no no in education and in many spheres of daily life. Having said that, there is, of course, what I refer to as the negative success. For example, in short, and trust me I have witnessed this more than once... a tutor at the end of the session saying to the gathered students..' Of course none of you will ever be as good as me' This is bad in many ways, it is forces the tutors assumed success on the expected failure of the student, a negative success as it were. It is arrogant, belittling and says much about the skill of the tutor. I will not go on but I hope you get my point.
Many are told that failure in the process of making or creating should not happen. The sad reality is that in many aspects of our working lives we are conditioned to have an abhorrence to failure. So much so that this can (and does) lead to a stagnation in the creative process. Many stick with what they know and just produce variations on the basics, a slight change in colour or size but basically the same thing because they do not want to fail. We have become addicted to the culture of success, indeed craving the high of the 'like' or 'heart' on their posts. Expecting instant approval and success. I feel it is endemic in younger (and not so young) people... All that may happen in the long run is a culture of mediocrity and petulance. We are taught to fear the mistake or failure.
Yes I post on line. Yes I have a blog and yes, I go live and make the odd, appalling short film. For me it is not about the likes or hearts. Moreover, it is definitely not about the lovely comments I don't get, I get very few as it is and always try to answer... Lets be honest, if I wanted the posts to garner adulation I would always have a kitten, puppy or lavish dish of food in shot. For me it is about communication, to share (as it is with others) to let people see what I am up to. Perhaps an on line gallery or public face to the studio.. I hope you, my reader, understand.
Once I have understood a making or creative process, I practice, I experiment, I go out on a limb, I go down new paths. I fail. However, I look upon the failure as part of the process, I pick myself up and start again with the added knowledge of the failure, a step nearer success. Trust me, there can be many failures but they all lead, finally, to the one success, ask any skater!
Because I have taken the time to understand the rules I can begin to bend them, to break them..I ask myself what if I use a bigger brush and colour outside the lines. I fail, I start again. I begin to make my own rules, stretching to breaking point and beyond. This, and more is my creative process. I ask myself 'Is this the best I can do or as far as I can go?' I find answers to my questions.
Success is very, very rarely instant nor is it an entitlement, it is to be worked for. Success is a difficult thing to gauge in the creative world, it is often a personal thing. There is, of course, the confidence it can bring and the tangible rewards of others wishing to acquire your work or to learn from you. That could be thought of as a measure of success and paying the bills is important. For me, however, it is more of a stepping stone in the creative journey.
As much as I strive for success I embrace failure. Each is vital for learning and work, and it is part of my teaching ethos.
As final thought..... What is the measure of failure?
For those of us who are old enough.... and no peaking on a search engine.....
1988. Winter Olympics. The Jamaican Bobsled Team and Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards-70m and 90m Ski Jump. Who won the Gold Medal in their respective events?
Both the Jamaican Bobsled Team and Eddie the Eagle failed in gaining awards and came last in their events, they failed. However both found success in their failure, they represented their countries in the most public of arenas. They gained the hearts of the public, the admiration of their fellow competitors and are still remembered today.
Also the gold medalists have not had films made about them!
Stay Safe
Please note there are other ways of doing things and opinions..... failures and successes, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind... of sorts.
I fail.
In the time that I now have to myself in the studio and in the old noggin that passes for my head.. which by default contains my brain and all that goes with that, I have time to question what I do and why I do it (amongst other things). The other day one tiny voice that popped into the uninterrupted cacophony of voices that jostle to be heard posed a simple question 'Is failure part of the creative process?' Well, after some time dwelling on this point.... I believe it is part of the creative process. And, if I am honest, I feel it is as important as the success of the creative process.
In the age we live, failure is talked less and less about. It has become a no no in education and in many spheres of daily life. Having said that, there is, of course, what I refer to as the negative success. For example, in short, and trust me I have witnessed this more than once... a tutor at the end of the session saying to the gathered students..' Of course none of you will ever be as good as me' This is bad in many ways, it is forces the tutors assumed success on the expected failure of the student, a negative success as it were. It is arrogant, belittling and says much about the skill of the tutor. I will not go on but I hope you get my point.
Many are told that failure in the process of making or creating should not happen. The sad reality is that in many aspects of our working lives we are conditioned to have an abhorrence to failure. So much so that this can (and does) lead to a stagnation in the creative process. Many stick with what they know and just produce variations on the basics, a slight change in colour or size but basically the same thing because they do not want to fail. We have become addicted to the culture of success, indeed craving the high of the 'like' or 'heart' on their posts. Expecting instant approval and success. I feel it is endemic in younger (and not so young) people... All that may happen in the long run is a culture of mediocrity and petulance. We are taught to fear the mistake or failure.
Yes I post on line. Yes I have a blog and yes, I go live and make the odd, appalling short film. For me it is not about the likes or hearts. Moreover, it is definitely not about the lovely comments I don't get, I get very few as it is and always try to answer... Lets be honest, if I wanted the posts to garner adulation I would always have a kitten, puppy or lavish dish of food in shot. For me it is about communication, to share (as it is with others) to let people see what I am up to. Perhaps an on line gallery or public face to the studio.. I hope you, my reader, understand.
Once I have understood a making or creative process, I practice, I experiment, I go out on a limb, I go down new paths. I fail. However, I look upon the failure as part of the process, I pick myself up and start again with the added knowledge of the failure, a step nearer success. Trust me, there can be many failures but they all lead, finally, to the one success, ask any skater!
Because I have taken the time to understand the rules I can begin to bend them, to break them..I ask myself what if I use a bigger brush and colour outside the lines. I fail, I start again. I begin to make my own rules, stretching to breaking point and beyond. This, and more is my creative process. I ask myself 'Is this the best I can do or as far as I can go?' I find answers to my questions.
Success is very, very rarely instant nor is it an entitlement, it is to be worked for. Success is a difficult thing to gauge in the creative world, it is often a personal thing. There is, of course, the confidence it can bring and the tangible rewards of others wishing to acquire your work or to learn from you. That could be thought of as a measure of success and paying the bills is important. For me, however, it is more of a stepping stone in the creative journey.
As much as I strive for success I embrace failure. Each is vital for learning and work, and it is part of my teaching ethos.
As final thought..... What is the measure of failure?
For those of us who are old enough.... and no peaking on a search engine.....
1988. Winter Olympics. The Jamaican Bobsled Team and Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards-70m and 90m Ski Jump. Who won the Gold Medal in their respective events?
Both the Jamaican Bobsled Team and Eddie the Eagle failed in gaining awards and came last in their events, they failed. However both found success in their failure, they represented their countries in the most public of arenas. They gained the hearts of the public, the admiration of their fellow competitors and are still remembered today.
Also the gold medalists have not had films made about them!
Stay Safe
Please note there are other ways of doing things and opinions..... failures and successes, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind... of sorts.
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