Try Try Try Again
Some time ago I came across a ridiculous post on Twitter that prompted me to recreate the cartoon above. I can not take credit for the initial idea. I searched in vain through my hard drive for the original image but could not find it. So I had to create the above from scratch.
It was also an exercise in to practice drawing with my drawing tablet. As you can see, I have a long way to go. But just like the idea expressed in the above cartoon, try, try, try again... and again, and again, and...
Compare the message of the the cartoon below.
There appears to be an expectation these days, of instant attainment, that everything should come naturally, instinctively, without effort. Wrong. None of us could walk on the first day we were born. In fact, without help from somebody else, we weren't going anywhere. Eventually we made it to crawling, then eventually we made our first tentative steps which of course include many falls and mishaps. Eventually we can confidently walk where ever we desire to go. Some of us might even find that we can beat the other kids in the school sprints. But, then we discover there's some one else who's faster. The solution? Again, practice and train.
Artwork is no different. Those artists who we admire, also put in many many years of practice to reach their apparent effortless of skill. It might appear that they are working without a thought, but truly, there are years of thought, frustration, failure and small successes which inform their actions.
I has been only in recent years that I came to realise the keys of the as of then illusive achievement in my artwork lay in just doing it, again and again and again and... ad infinitum.
An artist friend of mine Mateo Dineen outlined his journey from slacker to disciplined slacker in an article for WowXWow.com. His story is inspiring and hits the nail on the head, describing how many of us start off with our artwork, wondering where the illusive success is to the aha! moment to just getting down to the work of improvement and never stopping.
So there are no rainbow pooping unicorns, just a hard working mule, and you're it!
Leave a comment below, upvote and resteem if you like it.
More of my artwork can be found on my website. LeoPlaw.com
And if it takes your fancy, subscribe to my newsletter.
It's not just with arts, but everything. If we want to get a little bit loose here, even sports or programming are arts. And there the very same applies:
Shit I'd resteem this but I've just posted a post haha...don't like to have 2 in a row...maybe later :) But nice post for sure!
As a computer programmer I appreciate your comment! So true.
Same here, that's why I've written it :) It's pretty apparent just when I compare my files with some of our seniors in the office :D I'm no Picasso (yet) :D
Oh yeah! I am weird in that I enjoy refactoring code just to make it more attractive. But the beauty is functional as well since it makes it more readable.
Nooo... I often felt a compulsion to clean code up.
On the same page... or is that line of code with you?
if ($comment == $statement) agreement();
My reply to @matkodurko:
https://steemit.com/art/@leoplaw/try-try-try-again#@leoplaw/re-matkodurko-201884t145429702z
He he, no pressure to resteem, but thanks if you do Matko. =)
I agree with you 100%. This applies to anything. I have a background in programming. I started out with machine code on the C64 (shows my age), progressed to assembly on the Amiga and years later landed in website development with JavaScript and PHP.
I still have programmer friends from way back then. To quote one them, "Code is poetry." A good piece of code reads well and executes well. This only comes with experience and endless hours, days or worse spent debugging the code. It takes time to learn good programming practices. It takes even more time to be innovative with those practices.
My wife is a professional artist who actually doesn't like it when people go on about how talented she is. I used to not get it, but now I do.
It feels like it sort of diminishes all of the hard work one puts in developing a skill. So now I say, "Wow! That is really skillful work!"
Yes, I've heard the same sentiment expressed in various YouTube videos. I've spent a bit of time researchng "success" now. The solution is a "bitter" pill that not many (99%) people find palatable.
But, what my research also turned up is, we are hardwired to take the easiest route possible. It is a law of nature to conserve energy. However, "success" can be given to those who exceed that law. They might fail miserably, or even die, but those who do succeed, reap greater rewards.
All of that being said, there is the flipside to endless striving and falling into the trap of the pursuite of perfection.
"Perfection is the enemy of good." - Voltair
We are always a work in progress.
Truer words were never spoke.
It does seem, more and more, that people today tend to think instant results are what is coveting or even really possible. I suppose we live in an increasingly 'instant world' so it stands to reason. But, I think people live so much through the fiction of entertainment, wherein one's lifes problems and goals have to be solved in an hour or through a montage, that people's concept of reality is blurred. They are waiting for their montage set with a rock ballad where they go from struggling artist to superstar in 5 minutes :)
I have had people ask me, "how do you get so much done?" and I always say the same thing, "I do it! A lot, every day and I make lists and stick to schedules"
A friend was surprised when I told them I spend at least 6 hours a day in the actual act of creating (that is pen to paper, brush to canvas, digital tool to screen) and that does not include thinking time and planning time for that work.
Even when engaged in other tasks, like my garden or even changing over my cottages I let in the Summer, I am thinking of my art and what I would do here or there and if the idea strikes, I take five minutes and scribbled or sketch in down in a journal I always have at the ready.
Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could, a famous song once said and it is so true.
My grandfather always said work hard first thing each day and then you can have the rest of the day to hardly work. And that is what I do, I work hard to earn my free time :)
I like your grandfather's attitude. That's one of things I also changed in recent times, is sleeping and waking habits. I find I achieve so much more when I start out early in the day. The daily habits are crucial to one's success.
“You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ― John C. Maxwell
Ever since I have taken that to heart, I have step by step been turning my life around.
Yes, I think you have nailed it by linking the tendency of instant gratification to the fiction of video / film entertainment. Advertising is a big culprit also. The lines are blurred between entertainment and advertising these days. People's inadequacies are preyed upon to sell more.
"Oh, not successful yet? Then purchase our product / service for an instant fix."
I have to admit I am slacking off in my old days, but there are times when I put my nose to the grindstone. I just have to shut out those distractions. I had a great teacher in figure drawing. No slacking off in her class (but we could drink and smoke, which these days is not allowed anymore).
We were urged to carry a sketchpad with us at all times, draw when you are on the bus, draw waiting in the dentists office, draw everywhere and never be idle. We had to show those pads, and part of the grade was based on it.
I've been dispensing advice myself. Once a couple of years ago I was asked by a student, and I answered:
I should stress that it is very important to learn all the skills, theories and rules that go with it. But doing things by rote of what you absorbed learning, you won't be no better than average. Once you are familiar with the rules, you will then be able to bend or break them (but not knowing them just makes you a fool). You become an individual and stand out above the crown by making your own rules, adapting that which you have learned and making it your own.
I also forgot the conclusion: never assume that you are perfect - because then, you stagnate and at worse, become a copy of yourself (your past). Always grow, always learn, always explore new things. People should be surprised every time you created something new. Nothing worse than being known for having painted clowns your entire life.
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
― Pablo Picasso
"Perfection is the enemy of good."
― Voltair
"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."
― Dali
The friend I mentioned in the post, Mateo, always has pen and paper on him. If he's sitting still for more than five minutes, out they come, even if he's talking to you.
You're too much of a social creature these days Otto. That's the grindstone is missing your nose. =)
I used to draw (doodle) instead of taking notes in my University studies. I read up on the subject prior to class so I could argue with the profs. Hence no need for notes.
You liked a scrap back then, a bit of stirring the pot?
definitely - for example, my art history prof was a bit tight, but after I introduced him to erotic art (a book and a exhibition in Lund, Sweden, for example), he loosened right up. Brought a little bit of life into the otherwise stale lectures. Like, before, he used to dance around the subject of erotic art on ancient Greek vessels, but once he warmed up to the subject, classes became a lot more interesting.
Otto the Corruptor! ;-)
Yeah!!! Totaly agree!
People are like- you're so talented!
No, we're not, we are developing taste, skills, collecting knowledge and learning how to apply it in our works. When an artist shows me, someone, that he or she looks up to and says- I will never be as good as he is in the craft. I ask- How old is he/she? And then they say- 40, 50...Older... And I reply- You will be as good as them at their age, maybe better. You just have to put as much time into it as they did or even more. We're standing on the shoulders of giants! You just have to learn, and now learning is easier than ever, it's amazing that we can reach each other and help, grow or just talk. It takes time, effort and discipline, practice, repetition. Make perfect practice until it's perfect! There is no need to romanticize art. Drawing, painting and any other way of visual expression are just like math, physics, chemistry or any other field of science. These don't get romanticized? Why should art be? It's like getting good at something happens overnight... It happens over countless nights, countless experiments and countless scrapped projects won't see the sunlight. When someone says that someone is talented... I feel like he is discarding that person's effort to be better... I have anger towards that, It's driving me insane to listen to people that never took the time to learn and develop something and at the same time they are the first to say- "Yeah but you're talented" No I am not, no one is! We're just busting our asses, searching and fixing mistakes in order to become something more.
I'm sorry for that rant but... Lately, these people are getting more and more, or just the media gives them a voice that we could not hear that often before...
Power to you!
he he... I understand your rant @svdsdragunov. The romance of the talented person I think goes back to, funnily enough the period of the Romantics (late 1800's). I read an article that reseached where the story of the starving artist came from. Apparently it was a French Romantic story that gained popularity, that of the struggling, misunderstood genius artist.
The modern media has amplified this story, but now since the 80's with manufactured stars, we are sold the story of overnight success. People disastisfied with themselves and their lives make for voracious consumers and hence increase the profits of those who unscrupulously prey upon it.
I think prior to that, talent was always understood as the result of many years of dedicated training. The Medieval guilds testify to that. You apprenticed to a master and learnt until achieved mastery of the craft.
I am starting to see a trend back towards this approach of dedicated learning and self-improvement through the growing demand for classical Academic art training in Ateliers.
Some of us at least, are beginning to igore the mainstream narrative as it hollows itself out to the point of collapse.
Power to you @svdsdragunov!
The searching of a teacher for me started 2 years ago. It was an advice from the man that taught me how to paint digitally. For now, I have no success. But I'm doing my best. Not missing opportunities is the thing that pushes us forward.
It's just a misunderstanding of the word, for some reason people are losing the idea that work is the reason why we are where we stand... I don't know. Even younger artists than me slack hard, Trying to go around the raindrops and not get wet in the process.
I've met an "artist" like that yesterday and got really angry at him, he is a musician and while we were talking he shared with me that he does not know why he does not get what he wants from what he does. I asked him- how much time you spend practicing a day? His answer- 2 to 3 hours a week... Tried to explain to him that this is not the way but he was repeating some sort of excuse... I've got my beer and went to the bar.
Guessing there will always be people like that.
Well, I have to admit I was kind of like that until recently. I did put effort in, but not as much as was needed. Also changing my technique helped. It was after researching "success" in many different fields that I started to discover a repeating pattern. All self made successful people work their arses off and don't stop. It might mean sacrificing some things in your life to achieve it, but that's why we are fascinated with such people; they go the extra miles that most are not willing to do.
Yes, there will always be a majority of people who only do enough, that's the 99%. The 1% are those who do excess of enough.
Recently I found a book that opened my eyes even more about what is efficient practice, and how to apply it no matter where. It's called the "Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle". That might be interesting for you to check.
Thanks, I'll investigate.
😭😭😭 I feel so related to this comics!!!
It spoke volumes to me.
😊
Thank you for this! It just so happens to fit into a few other posts that I have been reading and thinking about lately. I believe that this has to do with 'flow'. When you get into the 'zone', things seem effortless. But they say it takes '10,000 hours' to develop the mastery to get into this zone of flow!
It seems that no one wants to do anything anymore, just be rewarded for zero effort activities, like showing up. Tenacity and perseverance hasn't been valued as highly as equality and fairness.
Cheers, you have a new follower now!
Yes, I think you've got a point there, the zero effort that people expect is the flow / zone, however as you said it takes at least 10,000 hours (so the quote goes) to achieve any sense of it. Everybody is a winner now, everybody gets a trophy for just showing up. There's endless amounts of material on this topic on YouTube. Here's my favourite.
Thanks for following. =)
Oh my goodness the intro to this video is really triggering me ;-p
I agree, and I was taught to fail forward, to turn challenges and obstacles into lessons and get stronger, smarter and/or better.
At least people are talking about it!
I'm glad the video triggered a response for you. ;-)
There are going to many people that will have to learn to fail forward by themselves the hard way... if they can. I feel there is a generation or more that have been handicapped with their life abilities.
And we are going to need to learn from our mistakes more than ever moving forward. Very nice talking to you Leo!
Oh yeah, don't we have some mistakes to learn from!
Likewise, good chatting with you.
Good post Leo! I totally agree... and now I have read the comments here I see there is not much more for me to add, I totally agree it´s about working hard, keeping constant!
Agreed, I say consistently persistent with the rules of the three P's.
this is so true .... im always telling others that 'talent' is 99% effort ! good post !!!
Thank you @veryspider!