On Improving

[batelite]

Thinking about art and the constant push to improve again.

It's something that is practically taken for granted. Everywhere you could possibly look as an artist is, whether implying or outright saying as much, expecting you to be constantly practicing and getting better at your craft. Practice, practice, practice. Every so often I hear people paraphrasing that graph about skill and taste outpacing each other cyclically. I think some (non-art) folks might even still be thinking "you're only as good as your last piece" is a sentence to be taken seriously.

I haven't really vibed with the idea for years, mostly because if you look a little closer there doesn't seem to be an end to it. The result of stretching your abilities and achieving a level of technical skill is for someone to set you a new standard. There's always something higher to measure towards. Plenty of folks internalise this.

When I was trying my hand at learning electronics, the motto of the school of applied sciences I went to was "exceed expectations". At some point a lecturer went on at length about that motto and how we should all strive to follow it. I know it's a bit of a childish objection, but if you're expecting me to exceed your expectations then those were not your expectations. I feel like this warrants pointing out because there's a slight of hand in there that is indicative of something. I don't think very many folks there took the motto to be some kind of inspired wisdom, but the culture there was fairly drenched in the live-to-work mentality. No wonder my time there was Bad.

I feel like there's nothing really wrong with the manner in which folks train their technical skill. The irony of this is that I've actually grown dissatisfied with my skill lately, so I'm probably going to try to push myself. But I think improvement for improvement's sake is not going to lead anyone to happiness, and it shouldn't be considered negative for someone to lack the interest or willpower to do so. At the end of the day, saying "They aren't pushing themselves to improve, what a waste." is just another way of demanding someone spend their time and attention on the parts of their life that benefit you.