When I read the
Martian Chronicles, I did it thinking that it is one of the most famous books
in the English language, so I better have
read it. It was an imperative undertaking rather than an anticipated
delight. That attitude lasted half way through the first page, which is so
beautifully written that I fell in love with Ray Bradbury right then.
Many people don’t
know that aside from his brilliant science fiction works (like The Martian
Chronicles and Farenheit 451) Bradbury also wrote a good deal about writing,
and I’ve always found his words inspiring. Today I came across a quote from him
that made me stop and think. Talking about the creative life, he said,
“You have to know how to accept rejection and
reject acceptance.”
The quote put me
in mind of my aesthetic journey as artist and teacher. I was a very unsophisticated
art student from a blue collar family. I lacked the understanding needed to
determine good work from bad work, or art from saccharin imagery. My instructors
had the difficult task of teaching me that while reproducing images resembling
greeting card illustrations might win praise from family, such work would prevent me from becoming an artist. I remember some embarrassing moments, but I still consider that to have been one of the most important lessons of my life. Not
only could I not seek praise from my family, I had to question anything that elicited praise. If my mother said, “Oh, that’s pretty”, I knew it wasn’t
art.
I didn’t stop
wanting praise, of course, I just shifted the target audience. Eventually, (and
this took a couple of years) when I looked at my work, I could see the
influence of certain teachers, and I knew then that the work wasn’t completely
mine because at its core was my desire to receive praise. It didn’t matter
that the source of that praise was a sophisticated professor, I had to reach a place where I rejected that acceptance, too.
Even today, I see
the seesaw effect of outside praise and acceptance in my work and that of my
students. Most of us need acknowledgement, but it must come with mutual respect and without coercive
ideological or emotional pressure. I love dialog with colleagues whose work,
knowledge, and understanding stems from a committed period of personal struggle.
I know they’ll be as tough in their evaluation of my work, as they are in
theirs. I belong to a crit group where everyone’s work is different. One person creates work with cut paper elements, one is a figurative artist, one focuses
on landscapes in watercolors, and another is a sculptor working in clay. Our
dialog is rooted in knowledge, experience, and mutual respect. We ask important
questions and make unique observations.
If I submit work
to a gallery, and it is rejected, I’m stuck in the first half of Bradbury’s
statement: accepting rejection. I always hope to learn something from
rejection, but frankly, it’s been most valuable to know that years of accumulated
rejections have proved my undying commitment to the work. Reading
Bradbury, in fact, I realized that I accept rejection so much that I presume
it, and frequently stop myself from submitting work. That assures me that I’m
creating truthfully without influence from the saleable marketplace, but, obviously,
I’m also protecting myself from more rejection. (Not something I’m proud of.)
Creative people
are tightrope walkers, constantly fighting to stay in balance, living in the real world, and true to
ourselves. I’d love to hear how Bradbury’s quote resonated in your life.
*My painting above is titled: "Whisper" 24" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas © 2005
No comments:
Post a Comment