Deborah Thuman on thu 8 nov 07
' Everyone is doing well if they are trying hard.'
Standing on its own, its not an appealing thought. How about if we put
it in context? I'm not perfect in any media in which I play. Because a
knitted piece is not perfect, does that mean I'm not an artist? Does
that mean I suck at fiber art? If a ceramic piece isn't perfect, am I
untalented and a waste of the teacher's time? (Yes folks, this really
was the theory of art classes at the high school which I attended. Took
me years to get over that.)
What if I can see progress in my work? Yes, I do try hard. And when I
try hard, each piece is better than the last piece. Am I not doing well
by trying hard and improving my ability? Isn't art about growth?
A friend who achieved sobriety on AA told me about one of the slogans:
Progress not perfection. It's real easy for me to get caught up in
perfection and dismiss anything that I do that isn't perfect. But.. am
I doing better today than I did yesterday? Am I doing the best I can
today? Am I learning things today? Am I trying new things today?
Trying hard isn't lowering the bar. At least for me it sure isn't. By
trying hard, I achieve a bit more each time - and each time I achieve a
bit more, the bar is a bit higher because I have to learn and achieve
more the next time.
Deb
http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
| |
|
