Practicing to make Stuff
“How do you balance between practice and actually making stuff?”
This question popped up on Penciljam’s Discord server. I almost missed it because it sounds rhetorical, but the more I think about it, I realise, the answer isn’t so simple.
“Practice makes perfect” is too trite an aphorism. It is black and white in it’s assumption that perfection occurs at a specific point in time.
I think perfection is an unachievable goal because every time I believe I have perfected something, the bar I previously set for myself… resets. The goalpost changes because I recognise the potential to do so much better. I look around and see people who are miles ahead, and in examining why, I find ways to improve.
This may have been easier before technology made it trivial to present one’s work before the world. In the old world, one remained an apprentice until promoted to journeyman and eventually if they were skilled enough, became a master. This still exists in some forms of art - the Arangetram in Bharatanatyam for instance. Technology has progressively removed the barriers created by such skill stage-gates, which makes it possible for people of all skill levels to make stuff professionally. The market allows it. It demands it in fact.
So how does one balance between practice and actually making stuff? Answering this requires one to have a system of constraints in place - a playing field with boundaries. In the old days, these constraints were external, imposed by the market and the artist’s guild. Now, it has to be self-imposed.
- What are the benchmarks for my stuff to be considered professional by my peers and the market?
- Where do I currently stand on the continuum of skill and knowledge for this stuff.
- What are the ways for me to improve the stuff I make?
The answers from questions like these create the necessary constraints needed to help me improve, and make better stuff.
Restraint seems like it plays a role, but I’m still vague on exactly how.
Be right back.