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Thursday, February 11, 2010

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams.

My recent Twitter post is a quote from Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics. One of my previous incarnations was in adventure programming. The basic pedagogical premise behind adventure work is that risk taking and new and novel experiences facilitate personal growth. There's a great connection for me in ART and CREATIVITY, with RISK TAKING and ADVENTURE PROGRAMMING.
While I don't actively 'use' my degree in Outdoor Education, as I recently stated to a fellow alumnus, I 'use' my degree everyday. Whenever I force myself to ask for feedback on a piece of art that is iffy, I'm risking ridicule, failure, disappointment. I'm also risking joy, success, accomplishment. My response is what determines the outcome. Growth is painful, artistically. To venture into uncharted territory is risky. But, as with all challenges, there lies, behind the door marked fear, tremendous reward and satisfaction. 

2 comments:

  1. I also think that as artist we want everything to be perfect, and what we think are mistakes others may see as beautiful.

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  2. I completely agree! There's a Japanese aesthetic called Wabi Sabi which, as Leonard Cohen sums up so well in this line, "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." It's the idea that it is in our imperfections that we are truly unique and its in what is broken about us and the world that makes it beautiful.

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About Me

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North Hollywood, CA, United States
I believe we are the Universe's attempt to understand itself. Art in its myriad forms is an expression of that attempt to understand.