Tuesday, January 11, 2005

The value of a day. "My future starts when I wake up every morning... Every day I find something creative to do with my life."            Miles Davis via Motivational Quotes of the Day   "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"   Another day is perhaps the most useful thing that a healthy person has;  what you do with that day goes a long way in determining your future, your happiness and your contributions.  Rhb   For years, I have made a point of trying to learn one thing everyday solely because I am interested and not because I need to or have to.   In practice, I end up with somewhere between 200 and 250 things a year.  I have been doing this for more than 30 years.  It is amazing what interesting things one can know after 30 years.  Sometimes, the things are random, but most of the time they are focused on a subject for a period of time.  Examples from my past: Being able to name, tie and use each of the 88 classified knots (at least that was the number 20 years ago) Being able to identify the 80 or so constellations visible from Atlanta and various places I have traveled. The names and functions of major muscles in the body (still in progress) Elementary languages (Mandarin - interrupted by times demands - to be resumed this year at 15min to 30 minutes a day, German, French, others planned) Morse code (including the ability to copy at 15 words a minute -- still in progress) Various quotations Thoughts, sayings, etc. from major religions Poems Jokes ... .   The most surprising thing to me is how often I have been wrong  in thinking that a subject will have limited utility at the time I learned it.  When you know something, a use comes up. Learning something is only one thing you can do with a part of your day.  A day is loaded with possibilities for: enhancing your health, enhancing a friendship or relation, bring joy to someone else, making money, making a contribution,  enjoying and rejuvenating yourself, just sitting and thinking.  A "mind is a terrible thing to waste" is a long time slogan of the United Negro College Fund -- so is a day.  Rhb  11:45:56 PM    comment [] Appreciating Art Over the holidays I went to the Atlanta High Museum of Art to see an exhibit "Van Gogh to Mondrian: Modern Art From the Kroller-Muller Museum".  I went with one of my sons, my business partner and two of his daughters each of which I count as close friends.  Prior to the exhibit I shared my "process" for viewing art (visual, written, music, drama, gardens, whatever).  I don't consider it perfected and I don't go through the whole process for all pieces but it has served me well.   It can be remembered by the acronym: ACTIST or somewhat 'cludgedly' ARTIST.  Hear are highlights: A - Attraction or Appeal:  Does the work attract your attention;  how do you feel about it?  It is not so much as do you like it, but rather does it elicit a response in you.  This requires no training although what appeals to you tends to become more sophisticated and subtle as you gain knowledge and experience. C or R [a little more cumbersome] - Craftsmanship/cRaftsmanship:  How well executed is the work.  Does it exhibit technical control and mastery. T - Technique/Technical/Tools of the Trade.  How well does the work employ the technology of the medium from a design, rather than execution, perspective ; for visual art, how is color, space, form, ... used.  Note, while it is sometimes difficult to separate Craftsmanship from Technique a piece of work can be well conceived but poorly executed or vice versa.  Some minimal training is helpful in recognizing the tools and techniques of the trade and being able to judge their use. I - Interpretation/Inner Meaning:  Most, perhaps all art is an interpretation of something, even the most abstract art is an interpretation of 'abstractness' or of some technical aspect of the medium or the subject.  The question here is how well does the art interpret the subject;  does the interpretation come through.  Knowledge of the genre, the artist, the times and historical context is quite helpful here.  Especially helpful is background knowledge on the work itself.  Studies and sketches can also give great insight.  An exhibit catalog can reveal insights only visible to art scholars. Even so, with very little background, one can deepen one's understanding of the art. S - Synergy (the whole is greater than the expected sum of the parts) does the work fit together, do the technique and interpretation and craftsmanship and appeal match to create something better or bigger than any one of the parts. Some knowledge and experience is helpful here T - Transcendence:  does the work rise above the limitations of the medium or a representation and present a greater truth; or is awe inspiring or spiritual in nature.  Is a bigger than "a picture"  or a "musical score"; does it lift you up or take you to another place, perhaps a place that only exist in imagination.   Works of art that are transcendent tend to have long lives and to live across generations and cultures.  They tend to be called great, long after the original context is history.  Therefore, they tend to speak to great truths about nature or about human existence; or about great beliefs.  Generally, the great works of art can speak to us, without us having much training or knowledge, albeit, such training and knowledge can deepen our appreciation. A final word:  sometimes I go through each of these elements for a single painting.  Sometimes I do it in two or more visits to the work; with research or reading in between.  My personal favorite approach for a great exhibit is to go through the exhibit once with only minimal preparation and focus first on Attraction and visceral reaction.  Note: my preparation typically involves refreshing my memory on the artist background 1-2 pages; the genre 1-2 pages and the historical context 1-2 pages of my favorite reference books. After the first visit to the exhibit, I study the catalog (for an art exhibit or analysis for a play or a musical score) and then revisit the exhibit looking more closely at the pieces I am especially drawn to, with an emphasis on the "RTIST" part of the acronym. Rhb 12:03:00 AM    comment []

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