Assignment: For the last 1/3 of the semester, you’ll be reading and writing about your choice of a book that focuses on a discipline or profession that especially interests you. The book should be non-fiction and should clearly deal with an issue in which the author(s) engage the methods and the ethics of that specific discipline or profession. Your final project will involve an analysis of the book you’ve chosen, combined with a look at other sources that help you evaluate this book from a more informed, critical perspective.Criteria for evaluating your “Smart Reading” project:
Strong okay weak no credit
0 0 0 0 You sum up the main argument and describe how the book's organization
develops it.
0 0 0 0 You identify examples of what kinds of persuasion the author uses most
(e.g., evaluation, cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast,
process/procedure, definition, proposal).
0 0 0 0 You provide examples of the author's appeals to reason (logos), his/her
expertise (ethos), emotion (pathos); tone of language; treatment of
views s/he doesn't agree with.
0 0 0 0 You explain how well the author clarifies his/her own ethics, the ethics
of the discipline s/he's writing in, and what ethical action s/he wants
readers to take.
0 0 0 0 You discuss how other readers have evaluated the book, and to what
extent you agree.
0 0 0 0 You back up your opinion, referring to a variety of sources that focus
on the same topic (e.g., web sites, academic articles).
0 0 0 0 You relate the book to what an expert has told you about the discipline
it belongs to.
0 0 0 0 You conclude with what you found most valuable about the book, what
kinds of readers would benefit most from it, and why.
0 0 0 0 You document all sources in MLA, including your required interview,
bibliography on a separate “Works Cited” page; parenthetical in-text
citation; you format correctly (w/ p. #s, title page), and you edit carefully
for grammar, punctuation, etc.Grade __________
Sample Essay: Follow Your Heart
Many artists fall to their fears of not succeeding in a career they want. It is, in fact, difficult to be ensured a career in such a competitive and subjective field. However, fearing is the worst thing an artist can do. Fear has led many artists to quit before they have even tried. The book Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland is quite unique in that it addresses this problem of fear. It examines different aspects of fear that an artist may face within herself, such as talent and expectations, and proposes that the reader as an artist find her own way of dealing with those fears. In the contemporary world, artmaking does not come from a common ground, and the prospect of success is filled with uncertainty. The authors believe that the success of an artist is in the artist’s own hands, so she must follow her heart and put any doubts behind her. This book also evaluates fears artists have about others. It discusses finding one’s own art as well as other issues in the world of art. The authors’ main points are stated in the beginning of the book, and throughout the book, the authors break down and evaluate the issues relating to fear. The specific examples given allow the reader to not only better understand the fears and the authors’ standpoint on them, but also to see that every artist has similar fears and doubts.
Under the “Fears about Yourself” chapter in the subsection entitled, “Perfection,” the authors evaluate the issue of perfection beginning with an example of a test done by a ceramics teacher. The teacher had divided the class into two groups. One group was to be graded on the quantity of the work they produced, while the other group was to be graded on the quality of one pot. By the end of the project, the group that in fact had the best quality pots was the group that was supposed to be graded on quantity. The quality group was so busy perfecting and planning their pots that they did not produce work as good as the quantity group, who went straight to work and learned from their mistakes. Another way that the authors evaluate as well as define perfection is to take advice from successful artists and famous people. Ansel Adams believed that “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” And looking at the photographer’s case, if he always waited for the perfect shot, he would not get much work done. Albert Einstein said, “As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” This shows that perfection is impossible. The authors go on to give their own observations and propositions on all that they have collected: “To demand perfection is to deny your ordinary (and universal) humanity, as though you would be better off without it. Yet this humanity is the ultimate source of your work; your perfectionism denies you the very thing you need to get your work done” (30-31). In addition to evaluation and definition the authors use a problem/solution persuasion technique in some cases. The solutions are not always clear-cut, though. The authors suggest that perfection only harms an artist. The analysis infers that an artist seeking perfection should simply not try to do so (29-31).
In this section can also be seen the authors’ use of logos, ethos, and pathos. The many examples the authors give, including the incident of the quality versus quantity ceramics groups and the quotes, persuade the reader of the logic in their argument that perfection is not possible. The authors’ experience is stated in the introduction of their book: “The observations we make here are drawn from personal experience,” which supports the authors’ overall expertise. The artists commented in the postscript their troubles with collaboration and their disagreement of views, which does not really support that the book has valid information. Still, the uniqueness of the book’s topic proves it to be at least worth reading. This section, as well as any other, also appealed to my emotions because, as an artist, I am concerned with the problems in the book. The authors appeal to pathos when they address the reader at the ends of the “Perfection” section. “For you, the seed for your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece” (31). Also, the authors say, “Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you’re feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides” (31). They are connecting with the audience as artists themselves by sympathizing with their feelings about “imperfections.” The authors are teachers, and the tone they hold shows this. Sometimes they are very simply explanatory, sometimes they are sympathetic, and sometimes they are frank. The authors are very cynical and straightforward about what they disagree with. “If you think that good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human; ergo art is error. Inevitably, your work (like, uh, the preceding syllogism…) will be flawed. Why? Because you’re a human being, and only human beings, warts and all, make art” (29).
The authors believe that the success of an artist is based upon free will as opposed to predestination. And, although the success of an artist does depend much on other people, what should really influence an artist is what the artist wants for his or her work. The topic of following the artist’s heart is seen in every section. When addressing that many artists want to fix any imperfections they see in their work to make it an ideal piece, the authors say, “You cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do—away from risk and exploration, and possibly further from the work of your heart” (30). Perfection leads an artist to fear that she is incapable, which often results in quitting.
The evaluations, like the one on perfection, in Art and Fear are what made one reader responding on Amazon.com very dissatisfied with the book. The reader felt discouraged, as there were no real solutions given. In my opinion, this reader was expecting the wrong things from this book and was not open-minded enough to try and find the kind of help the book does offer. The other readers that responded on Amazon.com were very inspired and pleased with Art and Fear. A reviewer who was published in a periodical called Studies in Art Education was pleased with the book but thought that it was more directed toward artists as teachers rather than as students (Wix). I do not agree with that. Although the book does have a large section devoted to artists as teachers, I found the book to point to very helpful insights and information that I can utilize as a student. Also, many readers on Amazon.com had wished that the book had come out when they were younger, so that they could have gotten use of it then. One reader was a bit too pleased with the book, and it seemed that the reader thought that the book completely and instantly changed his views on art. Maybe it did, but to me, it seemed like the book required a lot more of the reader than to merely read it. It is not so easy to change certain habits. The main proposition, that the artist should set aside fears and follow her heart, is what I found to be very useful to keep in mind. I can definitely keep that in mind when I am working on a drawing.
The book raises other ethical concerns in the art field. Competition is an issue that is unavoidable. The authors believe that competitive energy should be used only to fulfill an artist’s own potential, but the art market makes this not work. Another issue with the market is that an artist’s work must be accepted by it in order to be successful. The authors feel that it should not be that way, but that the network does have to exist. The problem is that many artists change the work of their hearts into the work that will be accepted by the world. And much art in American society is used for a “social network,” such as arts education, funding, criticism, publication, exhibition and performance. The authors say that some art is not accepted due to the uneasy fit in our society between economics and beliefs. Our society uses selective censorship, as for example with the photographer Robert Maplethorpe, who created idealized images of homosexuality, resulting in immediate action against artists (67). Addressing the positive side to provocative art, the authors say that new ideas are what make artwork appealing, as opposed to art that only shows craft (94). In an article entitled “Art of Disturbation: Provocation and Censorship in Art Education,” the author addresses these issues of censorship and publicly acceptable art in the context of (especially younger) students. The author believes that a teacher should foster the idea of free expression, but that the right for a work to exist is different from the work’s privilege to be shown. Whether an artwork is appropriate should be decided by the values of the community in which the artwork is to be shown. Art should not be forced on an audience, as it would be in a classroom setting. The author was a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago, and he noticed that these college students focused much on provocative art. The author says that in the times in which we live, experiencing art that reflects people’s feelings on contemporary problems is unavoidable. As a teacher of younger students, the author focuses on redirecting a student that is creating provocative art to make the work have more meaning and purposeful intentions (Henley).
“The Artist’s Way,” a twelve-week session on the Internet, gave similar advice as Art and Fear. “Remember, when we throw up blocks to our creativity, however we choose to do so, it is a form of control, or the illusion of control. Instead of the control we seek, our fear controls us, often leading to depression or despondency” (Redmon). This lesson tells the reader to trust his or her inner self, and to allow mistakes to happen and to learn from them.
Art education was another main issue brought up in the book Art and Fear. The authors believe that university art programs have faults in them but that they do some good to art students. The book points out that teachers have a hard time trying to manage being both teachers and artists, and they end up not having time to work on their own artwork. The authors believe, however, that a good teacher must retain some of their artistry if they want to teach effectively because, essentially, an art teacher’s life is “a paradigm of the process of being an artist, a witness and record to the way time and circumstance, event and emotion, courage and fear surround the making of art” (83). An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education addressed that many faculty do not focus on their teaching as much as they do their art. In this case, the authors’ argument in the article is that universities should collaborate the efforts of art as a discipline into other disciplines and vice versa so that art is not as marginalized. Teachers from both areas should work together to make a course that the student would get use in stimulating new ideas. For example, a class about “painting and death” could incorporate the technical training in painting with a cultural lesson on how different societies deal with death (Hallam). This is an interesting proposition, but I feel that my university does well with this already. Also, the authors of Art and Fear believe that one fault of the university is that “many university art courses are diluted by non-majors who bring no personal investment to the subject.” They think that it is enough to receive education from non-art classes at a university. The problem with the university is that there is no guaranteed success for a career and employable skills learned. Both the book and the article confirm that some artists become teachers just for economic stability, because they fear no success in a real art career.
In an essay by artist Don Gray, the first line is: “The artist is fundamentally alone in the creative process.” This proves Art and Fear’s main purpose, for each artist reading the book to find his or her own way to deal with the problems discussed. Although the author of this article is a painter and is referring to painting in the essay, the advice can be applied to any art field. Don Gray believes that “the greatest fear that artists can have, or should have—if fear of any kind is called for—is not of failure or success, but at the end of their lives looking back and seeing that they never really tried. They never took art seriously enough.” This is a new look at fear compared to the book Art and Fear. The essay also supports Art and Fear’s argument to follow the artist’s heart. “But all artists, to be significant, must work mainly from instinct, from the inner mysteries of feeling and responsiveness.” “The contemporary disease of over-rationality—starting a painting from the head rather than the heart—will chill it, will likely kill it, leading to art that gives off little light or heat for warming of the soul.” If an artist gets into a slump, the only thing to do is keep going until she is out of the slump. This relates to the statement in Art and Fear, basically those who continue to make art are those who have learned how to continue—or more precisely, have learned how not to quit” (9).
Interviewing artists gave me insight and examples that I could compare with the book. Both my drawing teacher and my uncle, who is a graphic designer, definitely had had doubts in their art careers. My drawing teacher had always been interested in art, and he wanted to pursue art in college. His parents did not approve of that, so he worked in a woodshop making cabinets when he was eighteen. When he had an accident, cutting two of his fingers off his hand, he made the decision to do what he had really wanted to do all along. He thinks of this incident as fate, an idea also mentioned in Art and Fear. To him, artists are as equally important as any doctor or scientist because they convey the world through art, and artwork is used for historical reference, telling of the times in which they were done by their unique subject matter and style.
My uncle is a graphic designer, and he finds his artistic goals to be different that the goals of “true art,” like painting and drawing. He described his job as “communicating the essence of what already exists.” My uncle estimated that fifty out of a total of eighty design students actually graduated from his class, and many people from his class who did graduate never obtained careers in design. So, the problems that Art and Fear addresses of students quitting or fearing failure can be seen in my uncle’s generation. The advice my uncle gives for doubtful artists is first and foremost to not be fearful. It is just not worth it. Mistakes are okay to make, no one has ever learned from their successes. If there is much doubt, maybe the art student should take a good look at his or her place in the class. Sometimes the fear may be justified if a student is very low in productivity compared to other students. Ultimately, though, the desire an artist has to create art should tell him or her whether or not to quit. My uncle had to take a lot of chances against fear in order to be as successful as he is now. He left jobs that he did not feel happy in, thus following his desires, and when he settled into a job and things were going wrong, he took a chance on making his own business.
I think that Art and Fear is appropriate and helpful to artists of all kinds, especially visual artists. The book is appropriate for younger artists because it is hard to see the basics and overlook fear when you are young, uncertain, and inexperienced compared to those who are in the career world of art. To hear the advice from the book and then compare it to what I heard from the interviews really made me see that the advice does in fact work, and that people I know and trust agree with it. Art and Fear turned all of the problems I have to face for myself into goals that I can achieve. This book and the outside sources I have read seem to be able to weed out the artists who don’t want badly enough to try to succeed. This book not only emphasized my will to try to succeed as an artist, but it also showed how hard I have to work in order to do so.
Works Cited
Bayles, David, and Ted Orland. Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards)
of Artmaking. Image Continuum: CA, 1993.Gray, Don. “The Artist’s Life: Creativity.” 1994. 15 April 2002.
<http://www.jessieevans- dongray.com/essays/essay005.html>Hallam, John S. “The Marginalization of Art in Academe.” The Chronicle of Higher
Education. 19 October 1994.Henley, David. “Art of Disturbation and Censorship in Art Education.” Art Education. 4
July 1997: 39-45.Pagliuco, Michael. 5 April 2002. Personal interview.
Redmon, April. “The Artist’s Way; Week 12; Recovering a Sense of Faith.” 15 April
2002. < http://www.aprilredmon.com/awweek12.html>Shields, Lou. 3 April 2002. Personal interview.
Wix, Linney. “Book Review.” Studies in Art Education. 39 (1998): 281-84.