Art is given value through the artist’s commitment—the commitment to finishing and polishing a piece so that it’s fit for public consumption.
Good ideas and premises are infinitely prevalent. They’re given value by understanding that they’re iterated with the audience in mind, and not as self-serving reflections of the artist’s “genius.”
the work involved in creating a piece of art is never done. I have looked and paintings and writings I was done with 20 years ago and itched to work on it more.
Oh, that last sentence!!!! LOVE. One of the odd things about something being ready. As the ‘artist’ we never think it is. (cooking, that is usually ready when ‘done’) We go back and tinker and change and rework and the artistry is an evolving product. I have had to learn to keep my hands off of things when they are done. How does my work show change if I constantly change it as I grow? One of my favorite books (OK, another one) is set in days of older technology. The author has toyed with upgrading it to modern times, but I am so glad he hasn’t. It would completely spoil the story. I’m very glad some of the greats you find in a museum didn’t keep working on their masterpieces. And some of the other art I’ve seen/read? Well, this particular audience was not ready for that style of genius!
I love this. I still wish I’d edited my book some more before self-publishing…lesson learned! Art takes way more commitment than people give credit for.
Yeah I like to remind people who ask for advice on writing that you will probably have to work WAY harder at it than a regular job
I’m yet to publish a book. Rather it is a very small manuscript at this stage. I have, however, written my 100 pages long Master’s Thesis some years ago. It took time. A lot of time. What I learned? It was good enough (magna cum laude approbatur). I stressed far too much about it. My advice after 4 years of mostly writing at work: just write and do some editing, but not too much!
Thank you for following me, DirtySciFiBuddha!
Thank You Back! Yes, there is a certain point in editing where I’m wracking my brain over minute word choices that don’t affect the overall flow of the story. That’s when I deem my manuscript as publishable. Of course, as I develop as a writer, I’ll look at it a few months later and have to resist using my new skills to revamp the whole thing.
Turd polishing is the curse of the creative mind. Oh no, I should have written/played/painted/drawn a little more, a little less, a little…Every craftsperson knows where their clams are. Having the sense to leave yesterday alone is an art in itself. But wouldn’t that mix from 1991 sound stellar pumped through the latest rev of Ozone? Ewwwmagawd I did over-use ellipses…
I don’t understand, are we to circumvent central ideas or inspiration just because it’s what the people want??.
I’d say there’s two ways to go on this, and in either case, you’re trying to tap a universal resonance. You can either consider people’s needs and wants to the point where it elevates your work into a universally powerful work, or you can go so deep into yourself that you start operating from the piece of you that is connected to other people and shares a commonality with them. Either way, I feel like the best works have a depth of meaning to them that resonates across multiple viewpoints.
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Kent Wayne 
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