We Are All Artists

Our DS 106 assignment in Week Four was to listen to a talk given by artist Tim Owens called (and this is also a link to the talk):

We Are All Artists

 

Here are his major points in summary, followed by some visual thinking and response to several of the points.

Let me start by saying, “Tim, I have already drunk this Kool-Aid!”

  • Creativity is not inherited
  • In sports we accept the idea that with practice, we can get better. Why can

2 thoughts on “We Are All Artists

  1. Barry Sommer says:

    Well, I strongly disagree about talent, and what you say is the “lie” that some are not born creative. I am one of those who has no talent whatsoever when it comes to creative art. I have NO art or creative skills, I have tried all manner of artistic endeavors, to no avail. OK, I can draw stick people, but that’s it. I firmly believe creative ability is something you are born with, not something which can be coaxed, or grown in someone. I believe it was Michelangelo who, when asked how he could sculpt such marvelous statues, replied that he just removed the outside to expose the statue already within. Right.

    If there is talent within me, I have yet to see it, or get a whiff as to where, or what it might be. I am jealous of those who have the innate ability to create visually, and have little patience for what passes these days as “art.”

    Surprisingly, I do have a few favorite artists, jealously aside, which I enjoy looking at. Dali, Klee, Botticelli, Kandinski, Man Ray, Escher, Basquiat and a few I cannot name at the moment. Even as I enjoy gazing at these artists, I am torn in that I want desperately to be able to express myself in a similar way. Not to mimic, but to have the same passion-flow through the psyche, which seems to be the enabler of great art.

    Another hitch in the artistic gitalong is the fact that I am cheap. No, really cheap. I can squeeze a penny hard enough to make Lincoln cry. I do not like spending money on what I see as frivolous; pens, paper, art supplies, expensive food, name clothes, digital devices, rude waiters or bad service. With no talent to speak of, why spend a dime on items to “create” at all? Oh, I can hear it now; that poor man, doesn’t even know how important art is to the soul, or that he has some talent, if he would only get the tools to try. Sorry, a waste of good money, I say.

    Sigh, my dilemma weighs heavy, but I have accepted my destiny to be just a guy, a cynic of art who likes to view art. So goes the life of the simply un-gifted (and cheap.)

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.