I had quite a conversation with my musician son yesterday. I was asking him whether a certain person was a good musician. He said technically "yes", but that person didn't play with soul. And that was more important to him.
We also watched Top Chef on television and again there, one point of the judging was whether the Chef was technical and whether he had put some of himself into it.
So I started thinking about beadmaking and glass and whether this is an important attribute for our art/craft also. What do you think?
Although I admire technical excellence so much, I really enjoy artistic styles that show me who the artist is and their voice.
So tell me what you think about technical ability versus the artist's voice. What is important to you?
Marcy, that is a good question. In my heart I feel very STRONGLY that the heart of the artist is the MOST important part of beadmaking. We both know bead artists who are technically excellent in what they make. We also know bead artists who aren't, but they put their soul into their beads. Given the choice, I'd rather be an artist who puts their soul into a bead but is not technically perfect.
ReplyDeletehttp://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/
I absolutely agree with Rosemarie.
ReplyDeleteI know of beadmakers whose work though reknown for their exquisite technique, to me, is completely void of feeling and bores me...truly.
(and if you're trying to guess which ones I'm talking about, you're probably wrong. LOL)
Yet I've held a bead, which though it had a wonky end or lack-of stringer control, made my heart skip a beat.
I think it's very personal though... a bead that has soul for me might not for someone else.
As for myself, there are definitely times that I'm just a beadmaker... and times I'm a bead artist and the difference is soul.
OOPS!
ReplyDeleteI meant to say that I agree with MALLORY (but I'm sure I might agree with Rosemarie if she posted here too!) :)
I need coffee.... soon!
I agree with you Marcy, while we all admire technique as a community, and I can look at technically perfect work and think "wow", it's really well done, but I don't want to own it. I think soul is important. I think what you are trying to express with the glass is important too. If you treat it as design material, and that it's the medium you are using to achieve your vision instead of following rules you 'think' you are supposed to follow, the expression of yourself is what shines through.
ReplyDeleteTechnical excellence is to be admired (& a good grounding in the basics skill sets of this is a must). However, any art that is founded on technical excellence alone, soon becomes formulaic....almost production work. It can quickly become limiting & self inhibiting for the artist as it turns into perfectionism. Eventually the art somehow lacks depth & substance.
ReplyDelete'Soul', in any art, you can pick up in a heartbeat. A lot of people don't even consciously realise that is what they have recognised in a piece.
It's funny because when I first read this last night (was too tired to formulate my thoughts enough to comment) - my mind immediately categorised names into lists.
I know what I look for in any art. It's the immediate attraction ....that first few seconds where you think 'Oh myyyyy - I LOVE that'...when you take a step back & think about it, what has attracted you is the passion you can sense has been put into it....as Sarah Sally said 'it shines through'.