Comments on: pillar management

By: misnomer

misnomer — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:07:43 +0000

This is brillant, and so true.
especally the part about the macs..ahah

By: thermocarb

thermocarb — Sat, 30 Oct 2004 02:58:55 +0000

Hello there,
Iwas browsing the web and found this blog. Some interesting quotes. Keep them coming!
Alice
thermocarb

By: nickthebassist

nickthebassist — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 05:08:06 +0000

I think one of the reasons there are so many second-rate artists with fancy tools is that there are so many second-raters period.
It’s easier to take notice of somebody doing lousy work with fancy gear because it’s just so danged obvious. At the same time, it’s easy to romanticize the greats and their paths, thereby cursing anything cutting edge or high tech.
Those points aside, I agree wholeheartedly.

By: leigh

leigh — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 02:06:24 +0000

LOL-Rasterbated.…Ratbastard…
Rasterbated Ratbastard.……Good Times

By: leigh

leigh — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 02:02:10 +0000

“This is why I love oekaki boards. I’ve seen people but out some wonderful work out of the limited tools of an oekaki board, stuff that makes my jaw drop. In fact, a lot of the stuff I’ve seen blows any rasterbated Photoshop/Illustrator work out of the water.”-Young Freud
Photoshop/Illustrator ratbastard? Just because someone’s chosen tool or media happens to be something as expensive as a computer doesn’t make it any less valid. My chosen media is the computer; Illustrator, to be more specific. And this is an opinion I have to deal with everytime I tell someone what I do. Let me just say, the computer can only do what you tell it to do. If you are a no-talent hack, there is no computer in the world that can change that. So many people think that because I use a mouse instead of a brush, I am less of an artist or creator. I can throw down and compete against anyone, and I don’t have to worry about staining the carpet while I do it.

By: leigh

leigh — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 02:01:11 +0000

“This is why I love oekaki boards. I’ve seen people but out some wonderful work out of the limited tools of an oekaki board, stuff that makes my jaw drop. In fact, a lot of the stuff I’ve seen blows any rasterbated Photoshop/Illustrator work out of the water.”
Photoshop/Illustrator ratbastard? Just because someone’s chosen tool or media happens to be something as expensive as a computer doesn’t make it any less valid. My chosen media is the computer; Illustrator, to be more specific. And this is an opinion I have to deal with everytime I tell someone what I do. Let me just say, the computer can only do what you tell it to do. If you are a no-talent hack, there is no computer in the world that can change that. So many people think that because I use a mouse instead of a bruch, I am less of an artist or creator. I can throw down and compete against anyone, and I don’t have to worry about staining the carpet while I do it.

By: john g

john g — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 02:07:38 +0000

In 1999, I had a cheap computer and a drum machine (a hardware device that contains drum sounds). I wanted to compose a CD of original music, but didn’t have the money for my own home studio. So, instead of twiddling my thumbs, I wrote music for the drum machine. As far as I know, I’m the only person to ever have produced a CD with nothing but a drum machine.
Jump to the present (2004). I’m working on my 3rd CD. I have a very powerful computer, with two monitors and $1,500 worth of music software. Essentially, I have a complete recording studio within my computer.
Moral of the story: If you can afford good tools, don’t deprive yourself. Else, work with what you have. Regardless of what tools you have, use them imaginatively.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 04:09:49 +0000

I don’t think Hugh is arguing that you shouldn’t use tools that actually make your work easier (a computer that doesn’t crash every 5 minutes, etc.). I think the distinction between a “pillar” and something legitimate is, are you really USING the tool, physically, or are you just using it as a symbol of your identity, or persona, of Artist? Having a romantic vision of oneself as an artist and actually creating art are two very different things– and they are often at odds, as many of us have discovered.
I’d be pillaring if I took my notebook, went to a cafe in the West Village where lots of writers reportedly hang out, dressed up like some sort of Parisian “bohemian,” drank coffee, tried to think of something to write about, but couldn’t concentrate because I was too busy hoping all the other cafe patrons thought I was a writer and envied my thrilling life.
I wouldn’t be pillaring if I were writing in my notebook and then decided to switch to a computer because it was easier.
The trouble comes when you start to think that using props to fuel your “artsy” self-image will help fuel your real creativity.

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:01:05 +0000

Having just returned from a five-day visit to Gettysburg, I feel compelled to correct you. Lincoln did NOT write the first draft of the Gettysburg Address on a lunch sack. The first draft consists of two pages; page one was written in ink on Executive Mansion stationery and was most likely done in the White House. Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg with his speech yet unfinished, and asked his host for a piece of paper on the evening of November 18, 1863. He was given a sheet of lined paper, and wrote the remainder of the address with a pencil, while sitting in a bedroom of David Wills’ home.
Paper bags were still being made by hand and were expensive in 1863. The first machine to make paper sacks appeared in the U.S. around 1869, and the first machine to make a sack with a folded bottom was invented in 1894. I think it highly unlikely that people used paper lunch sacks as we know them during the Civil War.
Anyway, who cares WHAT we use to create with? What matters most is that we strive to create in the first place…

By: Gatsby

Gatsby — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 06:24:32 +0000

This is a great article--too bad some people didn't quite get what you said. I'm an amateur actor and writer. I learned a long time ago that acting has nothing to do with the physical situation. You can act a scene on a bare stage, or in a room nothing like a stage, sans costume or makeup, miming your props, improvising the blocking and adlibbing the parts of the script you can't remember. We call it rehearsal. And when the actors are good, everyone watching forgets to notice they're in street clothes holding an invisible book--especially the other thespians they're acting with. Props and other tools are like icing on a cake: the icing may be the only part you see, but only a toddler thinks you need it to have a good cake. In fact, the icing is usually the least important part. It took me a long time to figure out this applied to writing as well. I've always wanted to write, but for most of my life I thought I couldn't. In my naivete I blamed my environment, including my tools. My desk was too messy, my computer was too clunky, my handwriting was too slow. When new, often expensive tools that showed up for Christmas and birthdays didn't make the words come any faster, I figured I just didn't have the talent. Four years of college later I finally know what the problem was, thanks to the invaluable wisdom imparted by my favorite professor. Put simply, writing is work. It is often enjoyable, rewarding work, but it is still work, and no matter how many creative helps you may employ, a large part of writing will inevitably consist of staring at the empty whiteness you're trying to fill. And then filling it. And deleting it. And rewriting it. Over and over again. I prefer to write on a laptop. I didn't start out liking it, it's what I've gotten comfortable writing on by not having any other options for an extended period of time. But during a recent six-week trip to Alaska, I opted to bring a hardcover journal instead. Less hassle, less wear and tear. And you know what? I wrote every day I found the time...sometimes journaling for two hours straight. Similarly, I love a software program called Movie Magic Screenwriter: once you know how to use it (which means learning what three keys do) you can write a screenplay or stageplay in the proper format as fast as you can write a prose novel--often faster. Only problem is, it's expensive and I misplaced the CD. Doesn't mean I can't write a play without it; just means they take twice as long and the format sucks. Saying you need the proper tool is like saying the knife a chef uses or the plate he serves it one will make a meal taste better. Tools aren't the important part of a creative endeavor--the important part is the thing you're creating.

By: Nathan Skreslet

Nathan Skreslet — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 03:05:53 +0000

I can see both sides of this argument.
On one hand I’m a graphic designer and I do a lot of work on my computer, but I usually begin the initial design on a little pad of paper with my dependable Sharpie ultra-fine point. The computer is simply a tool it doesn’t make your work better or worse but you still need it to be a functioning professional in the field.
On the other hand, the saying hold true that there is a proper tool for any job. Take carpentry, for example. This is a very equipment-dependent busness. If you don’t have the right blade, the right drill bit or the right jig you simply *can’t* do certain things, no matter how talented you are.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 16:28:51 +0000

Hmmm… some people might think I said “only bad artists use good tools”. But they would be wrong

By: Logan

Logan — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 05:49:48 +0000

Some people are so affected by what the guy wrote that they feel attacked because they live those lives.
They are screaming out in defense.
What about just taking the thought to understand what holds us back.
I think the responses to this one said a lot.

By: Nabil

Nabil — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 07:01:41 +0000

Of all “how to be creative” articles, this is the only one I’ve actually disagreed with.
Pillars are more than something to hide behind. They also support the rest of the structure. Holding out for the best materials and tools may be unrealistic, but you still need SOME tools and materials. With that in mind, if you have the resources to go with the better tool, why not do so?
I know a number of mediocre artists of varying types, and they’re about evenly split on those who use needing better tools and materials as an excuse, and those that hold the expectation that their work is somehow “better” because they DON’T use those tools. If someone uses Photoshop or Painter to make a great piece of art, it isn’t somehow invalidated because of it, and if your hand-drawn art isn’t as good, it simply isn’t as good. Period.
Keep up the interesting writing, Hugh, I look forward to reading more.

By: M

Sun, 08 Aug 2004 13:38:06 +0000

Whether we’re talking about limited resources or constrained budgets, limitations fan my creative juices and force me off the “tried and true” paths.