Recognition

I don't think it's possible to talk about the subject of recognition without going over the concept of significance. As far as I can see, the value of any recognition is based purely on how much it means to the individual receiving it. Say you get an award for something, if that specific thing doesn't mean anything to you then the award is pretty meaningless right? Inversely, if the recognition bears significance to you than it's a profound experience and honor. Recognition is one of the most arbitrary concepts there is, that's the main point that I'm trying to illustrate here. Another aspect of recognition is it's potential as a distraction. Throughout my life I've done many things, but as I've said many times before, what you are doing is often less significant than why you are doing it. There have been times when I've found my pursuits to be undertaken for the wrong reasons. Those reasons were pride, vanity, and a desire for gratification. I'm not saying that recognition is inherently a bad thing, quite the contrary, it serves the paramount function of determining significance, but as with pretty much anything, circumstance is key. Doing everything for the sake of praise is a pitfall that I'm wary of, since I've both exhibited it, and seen it in many others. As with many of my entries, there was a recent event in my life that sparked my thoughts on this subject. This past weekend I went to an art show downtown. It was very much on a whim, but as I've found more and more, doing new things on a whim has been a very good thing for me and this was very much a case with the art show. It was at the Monona Terrace, and there were tons of artists showcasing their work in the downstairs area. Many of the pieces were fantastic, but the aesthetic value wasn't the only thing I got while there. I had a very helpful conversation with one of the artists concerning the topic of recognition, particularly in the context of having your craft appreciated. I asked him the question of whether or not putting his work up for sale changed his opinion on his craft and at first he was reluctant to answer me after I mentioned that I was considering making the leap and putting more of my work out there. I found out that the reason for his initial reluctance was that he thought I was an amateur photographer seeking to feature his pieces in my own works and apparently that's a common as well as frustrating occurrence with artists and up and coming photographers. Once he found out that I was actually referring to publishing my writing, his reluctance was replaced with an eagerness to talk about the process of branching out as an artist. He and I talked a fair amount about a number of topics regarding what makes an artist. Granted a lot of that is opinion, but I found his opinions to be of substantial value. He regarded commercializing his work as purely a means to continue it because as he expanded his craft, he found that he required funds to do so and he also said that I would encounter this as well, particularly in regard to publishing. Another striking thing he said was that making money off of his art, and even being recognized for it didn't really change much concerning his view of the craft. In my mind, that's a very healthy take on the matter of recognition. It's definitely nice, but it shouldn't be the sole reason one pursues their endeavors. We didn't just discuss the subject of recognition though, we also went over the concept of the "leap" from practicing your work in private to putting it out there, which apparantly many young artists do prematurely. From what I gathered from this artist, I'm in an opportune position regarding my craft. According to him, he has seen far too many aspiring artists, musicians, writers, etc. put themselves out there prematurely, before their work had reached it's true potential, and they more often than not found themselves in a position that's difficult to recover from. That made a lot of sense to me as he continued to elaborate. Your first professionally publicized work is significant because it's the respective communities first impression of you. If you leave a good one, that creates an ideal jumping off point for further endeavors, but if you leave a bad taste in the mouths of your colleagues, that can be difficult to come back from. However, the final topic that we discussed was the matter of critics. According to this artist, shedding the fear of criticism isn't an option, it's a hurdle that any artist must overcome. Your work will not please everyone, and that's something you need to come to terms with if you really want to be a true craftsman. I'll admit that I'm afraid to truly put myself out there because of my fear of rejection, and that's natural. It isn't however, an excuse that I can use forever. There will come a point when I'll have to throw caution to the wind and make the plunge, but as this smart man I encountered said, "don't shoot your shot too early". I asked him when the right time to go public would be, and he simply said: "At some point you'll look at your latest creation and you'll know it's ready". After looking at my last piece, I wouldn't say I'm ready to put myself out there, but I'm getting there. Like I stated at the beginning of this entry, recognition is arbitrary. It's value is purely relevant to the individual recieving it, but it's important to be wary of whether or not it's becoming something that's just a nice perk, or if it's taken over as the main motivator for your actions. Trophies are nice to look at, but it's what they signify that bears the real value. They themselves, are just painted plastic.