100 Views - 68
2006

Some basic arguments in defense of artistic uncertainty, scribbled down this morning during a seemingly endless Simpleposie debate:

I think the cutoff point between discovery/exploration and refinement/mannerism is something all artists have to grapple with. To me, discovery is what happens when the artist's vague intentions collide with the utterly un-vague solidity of their medium. It's a big collision, and I think most good artists come out the other end of it shaken, no matter what their level of virtuosity.

The process of making art should refract your original intention (as my pal Chris says: "like water bending light.") It's not that the process changes your mind, but that it digests and expands upon your original intention, giving back to you much, much more than you could have conceived of on your own.

So even though the good (or maybe I should just say 'interesting') artist may approach their next piece with a blueprint drawn from the last, convinced they finally know exactly what they are doing, the process dissuades them, again and again. I think what results from this is art.