"That moment of completion is also, inevitably, a moment of loss - the loss of all the other forms the imagined piece might have taken."
Today I felt disappointed with the superhero I made. Not because I didn't like him or felt like I messed up, but rather I wanted it to be so much more. Once I put the finishing touches on him I wanted to roll it all up into a ball and start over. I didn't feel like I had given this idea my all, I didn't feel like I was "good enough" at art to do justice to what I had imagined. I suppose this may be what our clients feel like if they are to spend an hour working on a piece only to find it doesn't resonate with them. I think it is good practice to sit with a piece that you want to destroy. For me, it was a practice in acceptance and a reminder of the loss that is inherent in artmaking.
Quote from: Bayles, D. & Orland, T. (1993) Art & fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking. OR: The Image Continuum.
I can completely relate to this post. When I finally formed my hero I was not able to create any of the details I hoped to illustrate. I have also attempted to work with a client with the use of clay. Each time they created a form they would destroy it and create a ball. As we ended the session the client was resistant to complete a figure and referred to the balls as dinosaur eggs as a means to comply with the directive given. It will be interesting to see how the client accepts and expands on this piece in the next session.
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