Art & Fear, Observations on the perils (and rewards) of Artmaking
Art and Fear
Artists don't get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working" - Stephan DeStaebler
Vision and Execution
Vision is always ahead of execution - and it should be. Vision, Uncertainty, and Knowledge of Materials are inevitabilities that all artists must acknowledge and learn from: vision is always ahead of execution, knowledge of materials is your contact with reality, and uncertainty is a virtue.
Imagination
Imagination is in control when you begin making an object. The artwork's potential is never higher that in that magic moment. But as the piece grows, technique and craft take over, and imagination becomes a less useful tool. A piece grows by becoming specific. The development of an imagined piece into an actual piece is a progression of decreasing possibilities. Your imagination is free to race a hundred works ahead, conceiving pieces you could and perhaps should and may one day will execute - but not today, not in the piece at hand. All you can work on today is directly in front of you. Your job is to develop an imagination of the possible. Charles Eames: 1% goes into conceiving a piece and 99% into holding onto it the project runs its course. A finished piece is, in effect, a test of correspondence between imagination and execution.
Materials
What counts in making art is the actual fit between the contents of your head and the qualities of your materials. The knowledge you need to make that fit comes from noticing what really happens as you work - the way the materials respond, and the way that response (and resistance) suggest new ideas to you. It's those real and ordinary changes that matter. Art is about carrying things out, and materials are what can be carried out. Because they are real, they are reliable.