Which Comes First, the Process or the Product?
Some days just getting into the studio doesn’t happen, however that doesn’t mean I am not working on things. I think the time I spent traveling back and forth to Houston (last year) and my trip to Paris brought my work to the point of creating layers in the work process. The idea of the doors persists in my sketches and little watercolor doodles. I am finding these help me to contemplate the meaning of a lot of things, and that is good. Learning is a never ending process and I love it so much. I am also reading and journaling a great deal which I find helpful in moving the painting and life forward in a positive direction. Recently, I have found the work of Peter Clothier very inspirational and thought provoking. His book, Persist: In Praise of the Creative Spirit in a World Gone Mad with Commerce, has particularly struck a chord with me.
image belonging to Peter Clothier
This is a series of essays Dr. Clothier wrote over a 30 year period for himself. I, for one, am so glad he found a way to bring them all together for publication as I can’t seem to get enough of his words. Before I found this book, I was consumed with the thoughts of what has gone wrong in our society that causes things like hideous amounts of oil to gush into our waters, the abuse of one’s profession to the point of causing economic collapses and the kind of thinking which make parents think it is a good thing to begin the higher education process with children before kindergarten. What are we doing wrong and why do we keep doing it? Now, I am no genius, but it seems to me we have forgotten the importance of the process of living. In today’s world, we are so focused on the product, we forget the process. Heck, so many even begin with the product and then consider how to get there only to keep focused on the product no matter what gets hurt in the process.
Consider this recent article in the New York Times which talks about teaching 5 year old children engineering so they will have a better chance of getting a job when they are 23! Probably, by that time, the world is going to be so saturated with engineers they are not going to get a job anyway. Why is it we can’t see that allowing children to become what they are meant to be will help the world balance out? Who are we to push children in one professional direction or another? It seems to me this is just teaching them to ignore their own instincts rather than encouraging them to be the best “person” they can be! Now this brings me back to Peter Clothier who describes himself as a “recovering academic”.
So much of what Peter talks about in this book resonates with me, so this is only a part of what you will probably hearing about him in the future. In his essay, “The Bandaged Place”, Peter says, “…it’s in our anger, in our pain, and in our grief – and our joy – that we find common ground. So I aim to write the most intimate, personal words I can, in which everyone can find a piece of him- or herself.” This is what artists do. We open up ourselves for all the world to see, we give a little part of ourselves each time we create, we often wear our heart and soul on the outside, leave a piece of it in each creation and hope something we have done will touch that place in someone else. This is a part of the creative process. Yes, it is slow, but we quickly learn that fast isn’t better. Yes, it makes us utilize a lot of “inspiration” to get to the place of maybe a single sketch (reading, writing, travel, blogging, etc.), but we also learn from each and every mark because each time we give. We come to understand keeping it for ourselves has no value. Just like love has no value unless you give it away. Maybe this emotion isn’t the same the creator had when they were laying bare their soul, but if it resonates in any way with the viewer or the reader, then it is successful. Now, consider how different the world might be if educators, parents, politicians, engineers, bankers and other business types all did this? What if they, even ever so slightly, stepped away from their industrial model (step one, step two, step three, etc. and don’t make a mis-step) and considered the importance of the process over the product? I wonder if that spill in the Gulf of Mexico would have happened or if those in the financial sector would have been partying with the retirement savings of others or if we would be trying to make 5 year old children be 30 year old adults? I wonder if our world would be a better, more thoughtful, more kind place? I wonder if we would consider more and push less? I wonder if we would be a happier society? Well, there is little limit in what I wonder.
So now you know where my head has been lately. I contribute this contemplation to giving myself permission to enjoy the process of living and creating, rather than pushing for the product. Do you think this makes a difference for you – in your life and in your work? If it makes a difference for the individual, do you think it would make a difference in the world if more individuals would be process rather than product oriented? I am eager to hear your thoughts.
Have a Beautiful Day in your part of the world.
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There are 13 Comments to "Which Comes First, the Process or the Product?"
Wow. Kim, you sweep me off my chair with this post! You know that we here in Europe had our share of the financial crises too, because of people who only want to make the highest profit with other people’s hard-earned money, not giving a dime about wether this will have ugly consequences. I don’t know if we can rely on those people to learn from their faults. Better is, as you suggest, to change everything from “the ground up” . I mean, children naturally are paying so much attention to the process, when they are playing, they are 100 percent IN it, and they certainly are not “goal” driven:) We beat this “goalchasing” thing into their heads. How can the whole society relax and breath and pay attention to the process, as you say it, when it’s goal is profit and more profit?
I wonder about what our role as artists is, in this crazy world? To make people stop, and look at an artwork is already good! Cause during that instance, the person lives in this very moment:) On the other hand, the people should also buy art, instead of buying shares, or another car, or more clothes, or whatever, so that we artists can go on to make art and so that our art can continues to live in their houses and to make a difference.
Thanks for your thoughts about this all, it makes me think a lot
It’s great that you are doing this sketching while not being in the studio to work on your paintings. This door here looks somehow more closed
than others you have sketched. Makes me think that each door has it’s own caracter:)
Have a great day,
love
Andrea
Hello Andrea! I am glad this is a thought provoking post for you. I really love doing these, but it takes me longer to get to them. I think it is a process
Yes, I think North America and Europe really took the brunt of this financial melt down. We have heard it before that it was all caused by greed, yet we seem to be teaching children that is what is important. I am not saying we should not make a living and a good living at that, but it seems to me that can happen AND we can have a good life, too. I agree with you about not being able to trust the people who have proven themselves greedy and they are not the type to learn from their own mistakes (but we can hope). Yes, you are right in that children are all about the process and adults would do well to learn that lesson they have to share with us (of course, very few adults think children are here to help them learn anything and that is so sad). How can we help people to see these things as a whole? I don’t know. We seem to have gotten ourselves so deeply mired in this mess on so many levels, yet when you learn about people who have lived long, fulfilling lives you come to realize they were not goal chasers, they only wanted to live a good life and the process is what they seemed to focus on.
You wondering about the artist role is one I hope to talk about more in another post. I think it is very important to evaluate this because it is so personal, yet we share it every time we touch our medium, don’t we? Art does often cause people to stop and be present for the very moment they look at the art, but do you ever wonder if they really see it? Oh, I don’t mean seeing the pretty image but really seeing what the work means to them. Do you think most people contemplate what a painting means to them personally or wonder what it meant to the artist to create it? I somehow doubt that. You are so right, if nothing else people should buy art because it is an investment in their lives. It is the meaning which is hiding deep inside of them. It is an artist who has the strength to make her or himself vulnerable in a very public way. It is the purchase of the representation of life and acknowledging you are grateful and honored to share something special with another living, breathing being and are willing to share that with others as it is displayed by you. Why can’t the general public understand this? I think it is because they don’t honor the process…and that is a simplification.
You know Andrea, you are the catalyst in helping me understand the importance of this idea of layering my art…sketching and evolving it in a variety of ways. This door is one of those great double doors shielding the interior courtyards of Paris. It is one of those doors inside a door (where you can step through to keep from opening it up to drive through). The inside door is open and my contemplation of what was beyond was an explosion of color…like a party…because the doors were heavy and solid to keep everything out. I thought the inside had to be light and fun!
It was just a little doodle one day. Yes, I think you are right, they have their own personality!
Thank you so much Andrea! I do appreciate your comments here and hope this resonates with other people, too! I can’t seem to shake this topic. Have a lovely day in Paris.
Kim, you always have such great book recommendations. I’m going to make a note of this one. And I’ll have to look at that New York Times story. Shudder.
In answer to your question about whether people really “see” an artwork, here in the gallery I see it all. From people sprinting through, yakking on their cell phones, oblivious. To others who walk in tentatively, afraid that a painting might creep up and bite them in the butt. I prefer the latter because they’re approaching art with humility. What I like best though is to see someone magnetized by a particular painting or other work, to see them move in closely, and disappear into the art. Then I feel they’re “seeing.”
I went over to the NYT and skimmed the article. I can see that learning to solve problems like this, connecting the classroom to the world outside, could be fun for kids. And at the age of 5, it should be about fun. Not landing a job or competing in the global economy.
thought provoking post per usual. Love your open door with the wild colors behind it. Love the title of the book too. Read the NYTimes aritcle. I agree w/San about learning to solve problems could be fun. I always felt that one area school fell down in when I was in it was helping me to experience/learn how to solve problems. and I dont mean math. Although not sure If I would have wanted to solve engineering problems exactly.
In tandem though i would like to see the children also learning about poetry, art and music and all the arts. Hopefully they wont be banished for the sake of business goals.
Meanwhile in our adult world, one wonders what has happened. Is this new, this shirking of creating sustainable and responsible businesses? It is as if we are all lemmings racing to the edge of the cliff as fast as we can. It doesnt matter who we hurt and trample on the way. We are deluded into thinking that at the edge of the cliff lies money, fame whatever. But it is only disaster.
I do think it is and has always been the poets, artists and prophets, monks and so forth who have been here to teach the others to slow down, to look, to ponder, to respect. I always remember what albert Schweitzer said: reverence for life. Well, I’m sure there was more to it than that but I always remember that phrase. we seem to have forgotten it.
By the way, when I’m in an art museum I often walk quite quickly through the rooms although when pulled I will stop and examine a work more closely. I dont know why I do that. More an intuitive pulling in of the energy and paint. Does that mean I am not seeing? Maybe it means i am drawing in the energy and seeing in a different way. If I have time I would of course visit the same rooms over and over, if I lived near the museum.
You are right San, at this age it should be about fun and problem solving can be fun. I think a lot of the time the issue is so structured it is about following the scientific steps rather than having fun or exploring the answers to problems set up by the child. You might enjoy listening to Ken Robinson on TED. He is funny and has some insights about education, in general, but also gives some specifics as to what is happening with younger children in larger cities, too.
Hello Suki! I am glad you like the little door sketch. I am having fun with them. I am quite sure you will enjoy Ken Robinson’s talk on TED, too (see the link in response to San’s comment). You are right, learning to problem solve can be fun, but also true problem solving comes with being able to step outside the box and step up for what your intuition tells you is right sometimes. We can’t always solve problems with pre-determined steps and that is where learning the arts comes in…there is serious problem solving going on there. Here is the thing, I am reminded by my professor friends that this kind of “teaching” is too difficult to evaluate, therefore it is not often taught. Mmmm, that in itself is a huge message…if it is too hard, don’t do it! As you know, the arts are often the first thing to go when school budgets are cut – unless, that is, they can make them a competition (music competitions, creative writing competitions, etc.) If there is a chance to beat out the other guy, then by all means keep it in the budget. You and I know this is not real creativity, it is more of a formulaic way of approaching a subject.
I absolutely love your analogy of the earth’s humans are like “lemmings racing to the edge of the cliff as fast as we can.” Oh how right you are that we are all living with the idea of getting to the edge to be richer or more famous. In the race, we are ignoring the process for the idea of the product. The thing I wonder is are true creative types the only ones who understand that when you focus on the process the product often comes out better? Yes, it is slower, but…well, we have talked about slow a lot on this blog.
Yes, we do seem to have forgotten to have a reverence for life and it is something we need to remember. There are those who are here to teach us how to slow down, look, ponder and respect, but these people seem to be getting trampled in the lemming run, don’t they?
You know, I think we all have our ways of moving through museums and sometimes in busy ones we are lost in the shuffle, too. Clothier talks about that and actually suggests a meditation for really looking at a piece of art. Your experience of “drawing the energy” is a part of this meditation. I will talk about it in another post, if you like. I agree with you that living near the museum is a big bonus, but this meditation can be done with any piece.
Thanks Suki, as always you bring some great thoughts in your comments. You have given me a lot more to contemplate!
This topic reminds me of an old book by a theater critic from the NY Times from the ’60s. It’s called The Declined of Pleasure. It discusses utilitarianism; the idea that everything must be ‘useful’. Each item of production each activity result must result in some pragmatic outcome. He observed that the result was that any activity done just for the pleasure of the doing has became so riddled with guilt it no longer pleasurable. Friends are no longer friends but part of a network of advancement. Reading for the delight in a book you can’t put down is to be avoided only for books which are informative to one’s occupation or to ‘improve’ one’s self. It is a joyless view of human life. If one focuses on the process of life the products which flow from it will always be ‘useful’ but not necessarily in the utilitarian sense.
Thank you Davida for visiting me here and joining in the conversation. I don’t know of the book you speak about, however it is available used (although no other reviews). The idea that the idea that any activity done for pure pleasure is full of guilt is clearly one which needs to be explored. You can sure see this is the case where our children are concerned, can’t you? You also bring up a good point about friends. We are so absorbed with our social networking that we forget just what being a friend really is about. Although I have to be perfectly honest, I have met more people of a like mind through my blogging than I ever have in real life and as a result I have made some really good and true friends. Reading for the delight of the story or for the complete and utter pleasure of the written word is absolutely another area we need to touch upon in this discussion. I know many of my artist friends will enjoy picking up a book to read for the love of the story or the rhythm of the poem, but those who do not touch this place deep within themselves don’t seem to have this pleasure. It is very sad. You make two excellent points here one that this focus on the product often leads to a joyless view of life. Oh how I see this often in people around me. Then you say by focusing on the process the product will always be useful. I just said this to my family last night! The thing is sometimes, the product will be useful in the utilitarian sense, too, when you learn to focus on the process, the outcome in all other things will prove to be a much better product than when you focus on the product.
Thanks so much, Davida! I hope you will visit me again.
I think the idea of focusing on process instead of the product is one to hold onto in almost anything. Another book that confirms just that is ‘Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience’. (The author origins are from eastern Europe and his name is filled with Cs, Zs, Ys, and Ks so I really don’t know how to spell it.) Any way he got the idea for the book by observing artists. He saw that the act of working was so interesting and absorbing that once the work was done it was put aside for the next project. It demonstrated that just the act of making art was the reward. Yes, the artist needed to do some commerce but that was incidental to the work. Meaningful work is very important to one’s general happiness. The word meaningful is key. He also said that anyone can set up the conditions for optimal experience. Anyone in any occupation can experience flow.
You know, I agree with you Davida. As I was talking to my scientist husband (who is an employee of Corporate America), we came to realize many people would love to have this with their work, however there are but a few (although highly successful) work places which allow for this kind of experience. It is sad and it is clearly a need which needs addressing. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a wonderful researcher and writer. His work has opened the doors for a whole new way of thinking about the creative process, the challenge comes from “the powers that be” (in the corporate world, in education, etc.) who take this work and twist it to fit into the the existing industrial mold. The same is true of Howard Gardner’s work with Multiple Intelligences. I also agree with Csikszentmihalyi that anyone in any profession can experience flow, the challenge is to give them time to do it, the means to do it and the permission to “relearn” the process. In this fast paced, “show me the money” world, being able to achieve flow is achievable to few rather than many. Can you imagine the peace we would have if the masses could achieve flow in their work each day?
Thanks Davida. I love to hear from you.
I’m glad you got his name right! Yes he is a marvelous writer and I have enjoyed his books. As I recall he had many examples of people with mundane jobs who managed to achieve fowl in their jobs and in their private lives. One man made it his ‘flow goal’ to be able to repair every machine in the factory he worked in. He also created a city garden and planned for every season to have an improved way to cultivate and present its fruits. I know there were more.
The corporate world can squeeze all the soul out of those who work for it but we can make change. I did it by leaving a soulless job for the one I have now had for 10 years: teaching how to make art and making it myself.
Hello Davida, thank you for returning. Csikszentmihalyi is truly a mouthful for our North American and Western European tongues, but that is also part of what makes him memorable. He is a wonderful researcher and writer, and I like to think his work has had an impact on our society. Through time, my husband and I have been able to make a lot of changes in our lives while still keeping our responsibilities in line to ourselves and our children. We are not a typical family by any stretch of the imagination, so in time we will all be able to achieve flow here. I just hope the larger society can do the same as that impacts us all.
This is a wonderful conversation and I am glad you have kept it going, Davida. Thank you