I found the interview with Spoon interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is a wonderful example of what working creatively in a collaborative group can look like. I also really like the idea of imitating a pre existing style to enhance your own. Lastly, I appreciated the point of view of the band’s sound mixer, Dave Fridmann regarding post production in the creative process.
In any group, there are different roles members play. Some of these roles are more prominent, but each are important and vital to the group. While Britt Daniel and Jim Eno were the initial founders of Spoon, the band has grown to include a group of creative individuals who each bring ideas and talent to the table. Working together in a creative endeavor is much more difficult than a task like data collection or research. Creativity is a very individual thing. No two people will have the same idea about how to approach a project. While this can often cause conflict, when worked through productively, this conflict can produce work that is even better than the work of an individual.
Britt Daniel brings an interesting concept the the band. When approaching a new idea, he asks his band members to join him in trying out the material they have so far in the styles of other musicians. The band finds this very helpful in the creation of their own style. While emulating others, they find pieces of the style that work for them and incorporate it into Spoon’s style. I think this is a very interesting method of exploration and I look forward to trying it.
For the post production process of their music, the band places the responsibility with their sound mixer, Dave Fridmann. Fridmann speaks about his role in an interesting way. He says that it is his job to set out a banquet for the band, let them choose their favorites, and then toss out everything else. In order to get to this point, Fridmann will often take time working where he kicks the band out of the studio, This gives him the chance to work objectively, analyzing each piece of the project and determining the best course of action. He tries everything and then along with the band, decides what is best.
I learned a lot about Spoon’s approaches to the creative process and I think that I will benefit from implementing them in my own creative work.
Reflection: Amy Tan, Where Does Creativity Hide?
Amy Tan proposes that creativity is the process of making nothing from something. I think this is a very interesting concept. I’m curious what constitutes as “nothing.” Are our thoughts and ideas nothing? Are the materials we work with nothing until we create something out of them? What kind of energy does it take to make this transformation? Or is it a creation? We hardly ever think about these questions, but as artists, we create every day. The creative process is second nature to so many people, an indescribable process that makes something out of nothing. Tan says that this ability to create originates in both human nature and nurture.
Tan explores the possibility that some people are born with creative instincts. This means that it is possible to be born with no creative ability, which I find troubling. Tan also brings up the possibility that we are born with experiences from past lives and this is where we draw our inspiration. This could explain how we create something from nothing. Maybe the “nothing” is actually leftover from another life. I am a strong believer that the energy of the universe is constantly being reused. The energy that has been used to create before will be used again and again. Another point Tan brings up when discussing the nature of creative minds is their predisposition to neurological quirks. A tortured mind is a creative mind. This is sad, but true. So many great artists deal with mental illness, but they are able to turn their pain into art.
Another way the creative process can be promoted is through the experiences a person goes through as they develop. This can include childhood trauma like extreme expectations from parents or deaths in the family (in Tan’s case). A large outside factor that affects a person’s creative process is the resistance they get to their efforts.Tan lists several strong forces: the uncertainty principle, observer effect, and ambiguity. The uncertainty of success is something that plays a large role on the progress of an artist. It is hard to keep going when you don’t know if it is even worth it. When an artists acts as an observer, it is possible that they will become so invested in trying to find something, that they miss everything.
What are the main points of each article?
Are Artists Entrepreneurs? compares artists and entrepreneurs. The two field are strikingly similar. Both artists and entrepreneurs “are driven by passion,” “find themselves having to veer towards demands of the market,” and have to learn to deal with the more difficult aspects of their respective fields. Gupta argues that artists have a harder time working independently. The solution is for artists to embrace the traits of their entrepreneurial counterparts.
What entrepreneurs can learn from artists discusses the traits of an artist that can be helpful in the world of business. Leberecht argues that entrepreneurs are required to think like artists to advance in their fields. Twelve inherently artistic and creative characteristic are listed, explained, and applied to business.
What can artists learn from their “entrepreneurial cousins”?
One of the most important pieces of information and artist can learn from business is that you will often find yourself creating to fulfill someone else’s vision. As discussed in What entrepreneurs can learn from artists, artists are, by design, very driven by emotions and passions. Thinking like an entrepreneur and promoting yourself and your art as a business will help adjust your mindset to relate to people who don’t have the privilege of being inside your wonderfully creative mind.
Do you agree that artists are entrepreneurs? why?
The trope of the “starving artist” is one that can be avoided. An artist is fully capable of supporting themselves and to do so, they do need to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial skills aid an artist to promote their work and their vision. The ability to convey your intentions to others in a form other than your art is vital. It’s a joke in the artist community that we hate to write about our work. As lovely as it would be if our art could always speak for itself, we are required to advocate on behalf of our work. Successful artists are entrepreneurs with the skills and mindset to treat your art as a business.
Which of the 12 characteristics of artists do you agree with?
I agree with all of the characteristics of artists listed, but a few resonated heavily with me.
Artists are “neophiles.”
I relate strongly to the idea that artists are always looking for something new. In my own experience creating art, I am most driven by the prospect of discovering a new concept or idea. Art is about showing the world a new way of looking at things. It is so important to have this love for discovery.
Artists are like children.
In my own experience, I have learned that the way I connect to my neophiliac tendencies is to view the world through the eyes of a child. I love the idea of experiencing everything like it is the first time and I have never heard of it before. I want to make art that helps the viewer remember what it’s like to see things for the first time again. Children view the world in wide eyed wonder. Nothing is ever ordinary or inconsequential. Every experience has infinite value to a child. I want to make art like it’s the most important thing in the world.
Artists are conduits and not “masters of the universe.”
My favorite way to describe art is as recording the beauty of the world around you. The world is beautiful in so many different ways. Whether it be the awe inspiring natural world or relationships between people, the world deserves to be recorded. Artists do not create, artists observe and translate. Artists have the ability to see beauty in the world and then express it to everyone else.
Artists are passionate about their work.
The thing that separates mediocrity from mastery is passion. It doesn’t matter how often you practice something, if you don’t enjoy it, you will never really own the skill. Passion is especially important in the arts. Artists express themselves through their work and the more passionate an artist is about what they are doing, the better the work. It is not easy to be an artist. We are constantly pushing back against everything that wants us to fail. Passion makes it possible o push through these roadblocks.
What others would you add to the list?
Artists are part of a community.
In every field, a sense of camaraderie between your colleagues is important. Gupta describes in his article how difficult it is for an artist who is trying to work independently, without a support system. The most accessible support system for artists is fellow artists. Making art lends itself to a special way of thinking and molds the person who takes it on into a very unique individual. It’s important to realize that while it seems like no one understands you, there is a community of artists there who at least have some semblance of an idea.
Additional notes.
It’s so interesting to think about the different way that people approach the world. An entrepreneurial mind is very practical, looking at problems and finding logical solutions. An artistic mind is free to absorb the world and live it, then try to show this life to others. An ideal businessperson has an artistic side to them and an ideal artist has a business aspect to their persona. Human beings are so complex and it’s hard to compartmentalize what makes up a person. After reading these articles and thinking about the different traits of entrepreneurs and artists, I think it is important that we all have aspects of both ways of thinking.
GRIT
“Your grit score is: 4.25
You are in the 90th-99th percentile of other users who have taken this test.”
Do you have grit, or is this something you need to work on?
I have grit. This didn’t really come as a surprise to me. In fact, sometimes it’s harder to get me to stop working. I know that this sounds like my ego is incredibly overinflated, but it’s simply how my brain works. I strive to do the absolute best I can at everything. When I commit to something, I get it done.
List a couple of things you could do to increase your level of grit.
My flaw when it comes to grit is that I have a very selective way of going about things. I have a very strong intuition and I can tell when something is not going to be successful. I pick and choose my projects with this in mind. I put myself wholeheartedly into things that I know I can do or feel like I have the capability to learn. I have a very black and white way of thinking and if I decide that there is something that I don’t think I have the capability to be successful at, I avoid it at all costs. I could stand to change this habit. I know that even if I won’t ultimately be able to do something to meet my level of expectations, there is still experience to be gained from the process of trying.
To be completely honest, reading this article gave me a sense of relief. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I thought that I could actually study art and it would be worth my time. I spent my childhood years loving art, but being conditioned to think it wasn’t going to be a productive or lucrative way to spend my life. From religious educator, to politician, to goat herder, I went through a lot of “what I want to be when I grow ups” before I realized how important it was to me that I was going to be creating for the rest of my life. I was determined to use art in my life and I think I’ve found a way to escape the starving artist trope. This article gave me so much hope. Pink describes an era where the creative mind flourishes, along with the technological. The Conceptual Age is an ideal time and I feel so lucky to live in a world that is catching up to what the masterminds have known all along. There’s a reason Renaissance men are masters of so many fields. The arts and the sciences are equally important and are even more powerful when working together.
The most interesting part of the article to me was the story of a Graphic Design firm staffed by people with a background in law who work to present information for court cases. How cool is that??!?!
Pink, Daniel H. “A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age”. 49-50. Print.
Growing up, when my dad would drop me off for school in the morning, he’d always tell me to have a good day and ask good questions. I’ve been asking questions for so long, it only seems natural to ask this one – What is design? After all, I’ve made a big commitment to design. The word is even in my major…
I really enjoyed Hara’s method of answering this question. I full heartedly believe that in order to understand the present and plan for the future, we must truly know the past. Hara began at the best place to begin a search for the truth – the beginning. The idea of “stick and vessel” as the first tools was very interesting to me. This categorization makes me think of active and passive elements of the world, both of which are very necessary. As Hara went on the describe the evolution of design as a field, I found it very interesting that design was so deeply rooted in answering questions. This way of thinking about design resonates with me. I consider design a very practical field. I practice problem solving in my methods of design and I’m glad to know that’s they way designers have been working since the beginning.
The Ulm School of Design categorized design into different fields. I really enjoyed Hara’s interpretation that design is about integrating all of these fields into one. Design is a very whole process that can easily be done in an empty matter. The Ulm School of Design’s categories – architecture, environment, product form, visual communication, information – and so many others work together to form the full field of design.
Hara, Kenya. “What Is Design?” Designing Design, Baden, Switzerland: Lars Muller, 2007. 410-37. Print.
As a artist, I’ve always been fascinated by the play between black and white. I’ve found that working inversely, with white medium on a black surface is a challenging and enriching practice. I’ve coined the term “drawing the light” for this unique method of mark making. Often in art, we focus on finding the shadows in a subject and using them to form the shape of our work. When creating with white, you get the opportunity to focus on the light in the image.
The most striking part of the passage for me was the description of black and white and how they relate to society. According to Flusser, black is the complete absence of light and white is the complete presence. I think it’s very interesting that black and white are two ends of the spectrum of light. Flusser equates this theory to the white and black of religious and political ideologies. These ideologies state that actions are either black or white – entirely bad or entirely good. However, this isn’t how actions work. There is a wide spectrum of morals that aren’t accounted for in black and white. The true actions are different from the expectations of the ideology, but the ideology works as a representation of the actions. In the passage, Flusser describes a similar relationship between photos and the concepts they record. Photographs take concepts and code them into a representation that is remarkably similar to the concept, but is still not the actual concept. However, as viewers, we accept the representation as truth and often do not work to decode the photograph to find the differences between the concept and the representation.
