The Burden of Triumph

As I progress up through the art community, the list of people I look up to increases. I will eventually look to them as equals and we can work side-by-side, but another feeling increases with that: respect. In the past, I understood that people were more skilled than me, but I didn't fathom the path between us. I didn't understand all the focus required to reach the level they were at, which made sense because I had not found it. But I'm travelling it now, and like a safari-tour, I see all the beasts that need to be slain to achieve high-level work. So as I approach my seniors, my admiration grows because I am discovering all that they have accomplished. It seems ironic, but the closer I get to equivalency, the larger my field of view is.

While we all may be producing our own ideas, often someone else's idea is so powerful and agreed upon that I feel the longing to manifest my version of the concept. This is a way I show admiration to other artists, by enjoying their ideas enough to use them in my own work, thus, like a chain, the rich idea passes through the community more than once and provides multiple interpretations. I have made nice friends this way too because we both contemplate similar things, so by no surprise, there is more we have in common and enjoy to discuss. Therefore, I encourage you to also interpret other people's work and if it has impact and meaning, create your own version of it. This sounds like fan-art, but I am referring to the deeper meaning of people's work, rather than a specific visual design. With an idea, it needs to be analyzed and reproduced with a new vision.

Like all forms of art, many people put themselves into their work, so informing people that you like what they put out and what is good about it is a really nice thing to do, but too much sugar can make a person sick. If I only received compliments, then my mind would be saturated with the interpretation that my work is already pleasing everyone! Criticism is worth much more than compliments to the person who seeks improvement. When I receive 3 out of 10 positive reviews on a piece of my work, then that is 3 reasons to keep up the good work and 7 reasons to work harder. So I love having my flaws pointed-out and for those that do that for me, thank you very much.

Review: three ways to breath more respect into the community is to take the time to realize what superiors have accomplished, really observe other people's work(give credit where credit is due), and be honest in critiques. Hard work pays off.

Skill is undeniable.