Failure: A Constant in Our Lives

Mario, the training ground for failures (wait...)

I’ve been playing video games ever since I can remember. Around the age I was born, video games began to make their emergence into the average American home, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise that I was cutting my teeth on games like Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, and The Legend of Zelda. The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) held my attention for as long as my parents would allow. Due to a lack of funds (I was a kid) and frugal parents, we didn’t have a very large collection of games, so if my brother and I wanted to play, we’d have to persevere through difficult stages and adapt to controls that were, at first, a major challenge. Over time, we developed skills and patience, trying new things and mastering levels and uncovering secrets that were hidden for only the best players to find. Our early failures and our motivation in spite of the struggles enabled us to enjoy to the utmost the games we played.

In stark contrast, a few years ago, my niece would want to play my Mario games, but would quickly succumb to quitting or playing the same early levels over and over again in order to not face the challenge of further stages. She would even resort to handing the controller off to me, so that I could get through the difficult areas. My niece was so bothered by the idea of failing that she was more likely to give up or not even enjoy the game by playing it. The challenge and the risk of struggle outweighed the desire to progress or gain some expertise that would ultimately lead to her satisfaction and freedom in playing the game.

How often is this like us, especially as artists and craftsmen (or even in other areas of our lives)? The art world and how we are received can be a very intimidating thing, for sure, but are we really helping ourselves when we are terrified of failure? This fear of failure is so ingrained within our society that it forces people into modes of operation that prevent personal growth and promote a kind of lowest common denominator approach to living. I think that most motivated people eventually move beyond this stage of their life at some point, but for many talented and intelligent people the fear is stronger than the will and ends up choking out their reason and hope.

In fact, you can see it in schools. Most adolescents are afraid of ridicule to a certain degree (a form of “failure”) and end up stunting their growth as individuals and students in order to fit in with a certain crowd. They end up wearing masks and putting up shields so that their true selves will remain safe from the jabs and criticisms, while the outer facade is open to the blows. And the outer facade is much more capable of subverting any social destruction because it’s moldable and easy to change or ditch when the time calls for it. In my own life, I had a lot of growing to do in this area, as I found myself being different around different groups, in order that I would be accepted and praised.

Oh, high school, you're hallways are always so crowded

This may seem like it’s heading in the direction of “be your own unique little snowflake” territory, but that’s not where I’m trying to go. I’m more interested in subverting the notion that people shouldn’t fail. That failure is not an option. For sure, we aren’t hoping to fail. Shooting for failure isn’t commendable. However, knowing that we fail and accepting that we fail and learning from our failures instills upon us a confidence in the processes of life and growth.

I once heard a story of a professor who, during an assembly of students, declared that it was alright to fail. That many people fail in life at certain times and that it is through failure we can learn and become better. So, when a student fails an assignment, it gives that student time and motivation to reflect on why they failed and what they can do better next time. And that it is not the end of the world, but a step forward in their process of learning. This should give students hope that a failed class or a failed project will not stop them from getting better and even eventually producing great work. The students at the assembly were silent regarding this announcement, mostly due to the environment of the institute, which heralded results and success instead of learning. Another professor spoke up and declared that he, himself, had never failed a class and that he was proud of that accomplishment, because it proclaimed that he worked hard and was able to show what he was made of. The students applauded this announcement and fed the overwhelming ego of this professor.

So, it may come down to pride. Are we so proud that we are devastated by failures? Are we so proud that we can’t show when we are weak? If we look back at history’s greatest success stories and leaders, they aren’t filled with people who were afraid of failure. The greatest inventors built their lives around the notions of failure, submitting their minds and imaginations to the natural forces which ruled outside of their control. The social and national revolutions that brought great change and progress to the world were not held back by the idea of failure and, in fact, failed often. Abraham Lincoln is famously known for being a political failure for most of his career, yet he lives on in our history books as the greatest American president. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, yet is now known as the greatest basketball player of all time. Albert Einstein could not speak fluently until he was nine years old and was expelled from school for being “slow”, yet he is now synonymous with genius. These are people who worked beyond their failures, using failure as a fuel for motivation and for strength, so that when the time for another challenge would come, they would then be prepared and ready to fight.

The Face of Failure

When failure happens, which it will, we can either be debilitated by it or treat it as a natural and common occurrence which will enable us to work past it, in order that we will not make the same mistakes again. There is no guarantee that we will have moved beyond whatever made us fall victim to failure, but there is the hope that we will learn from that failure and make the required changes, enabling us to grow and blossom.

In closing, I think humility is a much stronger antidote to the failures of life than pride. The person who fails while in a state of pride and glory, will take a much larger fall than the person who knows their humble status and works with confidence towards their goals. As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. When we know we will fail at times, we are comfortable with moving forward afterwards, using what we have learned in the process. The hare was much more capable of winning the race, but fell into laziness because his confidence was derived from his pride in his abilities. He was not teachable. He thought that the whole race was no contest because he was so overqualified. Yet he lost. The tortoise, facing failure, still worked steadily, striving and moving, losing and losing and falling behind. In the end, the tortoise won. Not because of some intrinsic quality, but because in the face of failure, he moved forward. Meanwhile, the hare lost and couldn’t take the failure, because it pulled the rug out from underneath him. He went on to a life of heroin addiction. Or something. I may be confusing my tales here.

Look at the self-satisfied smugness. The tortoise has your number, man!

I’ll end with a nod towards Van Gogh, since this is an art blog and all, a man who is renowned as the cream of the crop of modern artists and the face of artistic genius. One of the most brilliant artistic minds in history was a huge failure. His paintings never sold, but for one to a relative. His style wasn’t respected. His life was lived in poverty and mental anguish. His dreams of being a missionary and evangelist, proclaiming the Gospel, were brought to an end when he was fired as a preacher. His life was, in all respects, failing. Constant failure. Yet most people don’t realize that he was always working on his art. His art wasn’t incredible from the get-go, like most everyone thinks. For sure, he had a tremendous ability, even early on (especially in the honesty of his work), but it was due to his endless studying and working that his art became so magnificent. As you struggle, as you debate with yourself, as you face failure, know that you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in good company.

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan

Vocab Lesson: Impasto

Van Gogh, making pretty pictures.

Impasto -  the thick application of a pigment to a canvas or panel in painting; also :  the body of pigment so applied (from Merriam-Webster)

No new painting student ever goes the impasto route (unless we're talking finger-painting pre-schoolers). Paint is expensive, money is tight, and being liberal with the tubed goo doesn't seem to make sense. Even I was victim to the thin paint blues, not knowing what I would do with so much paint and afraid to be too forthright with my approach. I was even guilty of using my brushes on the canvas in a way that suggested the technique of a house painter, doing the ol' back and forth action. Don't be like that. Live a little!

At the very least, it is good practice to forget about the cost of paint for a moment and just take the plunge into impasto technique. This is especially true for those that are attempting short still life studies or plein air painting, as time is a factor. The more paint you use, the quicker you'll be towards a finished-looking painting. Even if your overall painting style develops into a more subdued and thin application, you'll have had the experience of utilizing larger swaths of paint, giving yourself more feel for what the medium can do, and what may or may not work well.

Rembrant, an early pioneer of thick paint techniques.

For a real foray into the technique, find a way to work with your palette knife as your applicator, instead of a brush. You'll really challenge the way you understand the function of the paint, especially as a vessel for tone, color, and plane change. Interesting textures will arise and you'll find yourself absorbing so much more knowledge of the materials than you would had you simply resigned yourself to doing the same old thing. Don't do the same old thing.

Also, try hog hair! That will get you some nice meaty textures. If you want to paint anything similar to Lucian Freud's most famous works, you'll need to get some hog hair brushes. Make sure to scoop that paint and don't mess with it after it hits the canvas. Just let it sit. If it's not sitting right, don't be afraid to wipe it off. Just don't push it around.

Lastly, remember that oil paint should be applied fat over lean. This means that the layers closer to the canvas should be thinner than the layers on top. This allows the oils in the paints to sit more comfortably and reduces the amount of cracking that can happen as paint dries. Impasto is a perfect approach in regards to this information, so give it a shot. If you want to make sure you're getting things looking correct before you go nuts with the paint, just do a simple underpainting and slowly gear yourself up for the bold moves you'll be making later. I think you'll soon see that paint is very versatile and has qualities that are not seen as clearly or with as much appreciation as when it is applied with some thickness.

Cordelia Wilson, exhibiting impasto technique with subdued colors

Adam’s Approaches to Art: Artist's Block

Artist’s Block. It’s the bane of every artist everywhere. Worse than that stupidly annoying stray hair in your paint. You just want to make art, but for some reason you don’t have the motivation or the inspiration to make it happen. All you have is a brain that feels like it is imploding and an imagination that is sputtering and wheezing. If this sounds like you, you are not alone. It happens so often in our little art world that almost anyone can relate to it.

What can cause it and what can we do about it? I have a few notions regarding artist’s block that I think may help. Let’s go through some causes and ways in which we can combat these situations.

Leonardo was brilliant because he worked and worked and worked

The Brilliance Dilemma

Alright, so you’re standing at your easel, a canvas sitting in front of you, paint to your side, and all you want to do is produce a quality piece of work. You want to bring something to life, you want to wow your friends and relatives, you want to make something that’s never been seen before, and you want to let it come from the pit of your soul. That’s a tall order. But isn’t that how the greatest artists work? They’re just so brilliant that they produce work of the highest quality by letting their paint and brush become a vehicle through which their spirit descends upon the face of the canvas, anointing it with a beauty so pure and definitive that books are written about it and the masterful painters that produce it. If this sort of thing ever crosses your mind, I think you may be coming at art from the wrong perspective.

Art is editing. In every way, from concept to finish, the artist must be editing. To think that art just happens is unrealistic. This should not prevent you from creating art, but should propel you to take chances and work consistently. Feel free to sketch, experiment, mess with colors, paint to your heart’s content, but don’t expect that you can stand at a canvas, void of ideas or preparation and create a work that will engage your audience or fulfill your expectations.

Is this the state of your visual understanding?

The Vacant Mental Library

Art requires knowledge. Knowledge of colors, lines, marks, subjects, structure, proportion, juxtaposition, composition, perspective, intent, expression, visual grammar, vocabulary, intuition, communication, materials, etc. From abstract art to the most intense realism, artists must exercise some form of knowledge in order to produce their work. To approach your art without knowledge will only cause frustration. Research, practice, experiment, find reference, sketch. Do these things and you will begin to create a mental library from which you can draw in order to produce art that reflects your intentions. You’ll learn more about the world around you and you’ll feel more comfortable in your creations.

Stuck in a Moment

Analysis Paralysis and the Curse of The Masterpiece (feat Nancy Drew?)

The artist that only wants to make a masterpiece will find themselves frozen. I think this is the most common reason for artist’s block. As artists study history and view the impressive works of their heroes, it isn’t hard to become enamored with the idea of the “masterpiece”. The mind is overcome with ideas and paths and options and subjects, but none of them measure up to what the artist thinks will contribute to the world of art. In the world of board games, this is called “analysis paralysis”. The gamer is so overwhelmed with options and consumed with getting the highest score that they are afraid to make a move and instead weigh their options for a prolonged amount of time, making the game run long and the fun run short. When we find ourselves doing this in art, we have to break ourselves of it because we’re just preventing ourselves from growing as artists and from producing art. And we’re sucking the fun out of it.

"This is a fish!"

The Busy Bee

Our world is different than it was in the time of the masters. In many ways, life has been made more convenient, bringing an ease to things that were once very taxing and time-consuming. Yet, with all of our technological advancements, we still find ourselves gasping for air and overwhelmed by responsibilities and arrangements. We should probably take a step back and view the ways in which we spend our time, with a critical eye towards cutting fat. Does the cell phone consume your every waking moment? How about facebook? Or twitter? Maybe it’s Netflix. Or Amazon. Or you-name-it. All of these things vie for your attention and fill your brain. Some of these things can be good, giving you inspiration in different ways, but often they aren’t used properly and end up choking our creativity and our imagination. If this doesn’t happen to you, disregard this point, but hopefully you give it some thought. Find time to breath in the wonder of life, the simple pleasures, the classics, the timeless. You may find yourself recentering a bit and enjoying life more, freeing up your schedule and your mind to create art that reflects your spirit.

In Closing

By no means is this an exhaustive list of why you are experiencing a block in creativity. These are just some simple notions that often contribute to those moments. I hope that some of this spoke to your situation and you find yourself growing in these areas. Pursue what is good for you and keep at it. You’ll have peaks and valleys, but those times when you hit your stride are going to be fantastic.