They say Failure is an Option
August 18, 2014 11:58
Cardboard SphereAugust 18th, 2014
I have decided to give cardboard a try. The dumpster outside my apartment overflows on a weekly basis. Very nice boxes can be found, from amazon, overstock, various shoe providers... good, new, once used boxes on their way to be recycled into another good, new box. The point is, I have plenty of material.
And I have plenty of ideas. I am still working out the larger idea, as it seams I never really know what a piece will be until it is virtually finished. But I have this idea to work with the cardboard as a fabric, to take it from its rigid state and try and soften and curve it. And then to light it.
I was attempting to create a patterned, layering affect of the torn apart cardboard to give it a feel of being one cloth. I was hoping that once the cardboard had been soaked in water over night, torn apart and layered back together with glue and water... that it would feel delicate and fragile.
It is definitely fragile. The whole form fell apart as I removed it from the mold. Failure is an option, as they say. But there can be beatuiful discoveries in that failure. And I am not one to think that my art, my ideas, will be manifested in one easy attempt. There are always failures, imperfections... do overs. The challenge is to be accepting of these failures and to learn how to think through the neccesary steps prior to beginning again. defiTnitely
Does the artist who does not have any failed ideas fail in their own identity as an artist? Would they not be pushing themselves hard enough to try new ideas, processes, materials? How important is failure in an artist work or in their process? Of course there are thousands that have perfected their craft and are satified repeating the motions in each new work they create. And I am by no means saying that there is anything wrong with this. Personally, my failures are teaching me more about my art than ever before and I would love to have access to the lessons learned by the great artists of today and yesterday through a discussion of their failures.
Posted August 18, 2014 11:58
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“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.”
― Marcel Duchamp
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9 years, 7 months ago
I guess it depends on what you prioritize when it comes to your art...the process or the product. Whether you seek to conquer the wave or ride it.
For you, I know that you allow a project to develop and evolve as it will, so it seems that "failure" would be less in your vocabulary as opposed to, "Alright, that's what happened, so we'll go in that direction and see where we end up."
As far as "failure" goes, penicillin was born of it, and you've probably heard Edison's quote, "I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
It's a fine line when it comes to selling your creations but, in the purest sense, you as the artist are the sole arbiter of "what works" and what is defined as "success". I say allow yourself that freedom. Allow ideas to evolve. Allow goals to change. In the process, I think you'll achieve your ultimate goal of expanded consciousness and spiritual orgasm through your art.