I just reposted this excellent post on my LinkedIn feed with this comment: “I loved this post by Katharine Woodman-Maynard. Relentless curiosity, manifested by working and reworking a limited set of materials, is what drives the creation of great art. As a financier trained in engineering, I had no idea of this. Engineering and finance, like most pursuits, do require curiosity and sweating the details. However, pattern matching is what drives success in engineering and finance. Years of collaboration with artists such as Katharine and Raul Rosa helped me realize how much of art is about doing things over and over and over again until you get it right. As Katharine makes clear, the only thing that can get a person to endure that much failure is insatiable curiosity.”
Aww, thank you so much, Sal! Your Angel Invest Podcast showed so much of the persistence and trial and error involved in creative entrepreneurial endeavors.
Great post! Every artist makes bad art! I really need to keep repeating it to myself. And I need to remind myself - those ARE my favourite artists! Those who constantly push themselves in new directions, often risking (or even resulting in) failure. Not the ones who stumbled on one thing that worked and now create endless reiterations of it.
This is a great post. I agree, it's important to look at other works of art by talented artists, not just their "masterpieces." Sometimes masterpieces can be intimidating because they feel perfect. But less perfect works of art can sometimes teach us more, because it's easier to analyze what works and what doesn't. And it's important to remember that artists' work can vary immensely-and that's a good reminder not to be too precious about making things too perfect. Sometimes you just need to "finish the hat," as Stephen Sondheim wrote.
Thanks Katharine! The song that line is from is “Finishing the Hat,” from “Sunday in the Park with George,” it’s a great song about the creative process. :)
I’m constantly reinventing and iterating on how I approach my own (non-art) work. I’m still not there, but I can tell I’m getting closer. I really appreciate this reminder that so much—if not most—excellence is reached through time, experimentation, iteration, and exploration. And I’m sure even those “strokes of genius” (pun not intended but I’ll take it) probably arise from a solid bedrock of the slower work.
I loved this reminder that even greats like O’Keeffe needed time to refine their ideas! Your point about following a “spark of curiosity” struck a chord. It’s uplifting to see how experimentation led to breakthroughs for O’Keeffe and your work on Tuck Everlasting! Thanks for sharing this.
Sometimes I enjoy what might be considered to be crummy art or lousy movies because witnessing imperfection can be just as interesting or entertaining as consuming masterpieces. Or, as you suggest in your interesting post, a flawed effort might be an initial step toward creating later art that is sublime. Even "the greats" create plenty of what critics might consider to be ordinary or lackluster work. Not every painting makes the trek to a museum.
Yes, I love your reading of O’Keefe’s progression! One of my favorite parts of the show was the sequence of paintings where she was refining a still life of a skull, a shingle, and a leaf down to a few shapes and colors. So cool to see her work over time—and how her composition was influenced by contemporary photography! Those paintings with skulls in extreme close-up are transformative!!!
Great work takes time to develop! Thanks for sharing this reflection and reminder. If you haven’t already read it, you might like Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity. (He also talks about O’Keefe)
This was encouraging to read and a great reminder to embrace the joy of the process 🫶🏼 I love seeing sketches of great artists. I always felt sketches are a glimpse into the mind of an artist and where the magic happens. It seems to me it is usually when the artist seems the most authentic and how a finish piece starts- with a scribble. I am the most relaxed in my sketchbook versus working on a finished piece.
I remember having a similar feeling at the Guernica exhibit in Madrid. It’s obviously not a lesser work of Picasso but the exhibit included so many preparatory sketches and studies. I could even see where he changed ideas in paint on the canvas leaving some stray marks after he went over it. It showed me just how much time went into it. It was not like he just showed up and painted it all at once in some glowing genius state.
Exactly, you are so right, Katie: "It was not like he just showed up and painted it all at once in some glowing genius state." Such a good thing to remember!
I just reposted this excellent post on my LinkedIn feed with this comment: “I loved this post by Katharine Woodman-Maynard. Relentless curiosity, manifested by working and reworking a limited set of materials, is what drives the creation of great art. As a financier trained in engineering, I had no idea of this. Engineering and finance, like most pursuits, do require curiosity and sweating the details. However, pattern matching is what drives success in engineering and finance. Years of collaboration with artists such as Katharine and Raul Rosa helped me realize how much of art is about doing things over and over and over again until you get it right. As Katharine makes clear, the only thing that can get a person to endure that much failure is insatiable curiosity.”
Aww, thank you so much, Sal! Your Angel Invest Podcast showed so much of the persistence and trial and error involved in creative entrepreneurial endeavors.
Oh I adore the tree branches for panels! Really feels like the character is submerged in the woods.
Thank you, Betje!
Great post! Every artist makes bad art! I really need to keep repeating it to myself. And I need to remind myself - those ARE my favourite artists! Those who constantly push themselves in new directions, often risking (or even resulting in) failure. Not the ones who stumbled on one thing that worked and now create endless reiterations of it.
Thank you, Kinga! And I need to keep reminding myself of this too.
I love that you stumbled upon the tree-branch-border-separated idea. I love when I’m surprised by my own work.
Thanks, Michael!
This is a great post. I agree, it's important to look at other works of art by talented artists, not just their "masterpieces." Sometimes masterpieces can be intimidating because they feel perfect. But less perfect works of art can sometimes teach us more, because it's easier to analyze what works and what doesn't. And it's important to remember that artists' work can vary immensely-and that's a good reminder not to be too precious about making things too perfect. Sometimes you just need to "finish the hat," as Stephen Sondheim wrote.
Thanks, Mark! I love the, "Finish the hat" line. And welcome to Substack :)
Thanks Katharine! The song that line is from is “Finishing the Hat,” from “Sunday in the Park with George,” it’s a great song about the creative process. :)
I’m constantly reinventing and iterating on how I approach my own (non-art) work. I’m still not there, but I can tell I’m getting closer. I really appreciate this reminder that so much—if not most—excellence is reached through time, experimentation, iteration, and exploration. And I’m sure even those “strokes of genius” (pun not intended but I’ll take it) probably arise from a solid bedrock of the slower work.
Yes, it's totally applicable to non-art work too!
I loved this reminder that even greats like O’Keeffe needed time to refine their ideas! Your point about following a “spark of curiosity” struck a chord. It’s uplifting to see how experimentation led to breakthroughs for O’Keeffe and your work on Tuck Everlasting! Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks so much, Jon! I’m so glad it resonated!
Sometimes I enjoy what might be considered to be crummy art or lousy movies because witnessing imperfection can be just as interesting or entertaining as consuming masterpieces. Or, as you suggest in your interesting post, a flawed effort might be an initial step toward creating later art that is sublime. Even "the greats" create plenty of what critics might consider to be ordinary or lackluster work. Not every painting makes the trek to a museum.
Thanks, Douglas!
Yes, I love your reading of O’Keefe’s progression! One of my favorite parts of the show was the sequence of paintings where she was refining a still life of a skull, a shingle, and a leaf down to a few shapes and colors. So cool to see her work over time—and how her composition was influenced by contemporary photography! Those paintings with skulls in extreme close-up are transformative!!!
Ooo. I wish I’d better noticed that progression. Thanks, Anna!
Thank you for a great post. A good reminder that we are always a work in progress! Love Leif’s little boots. ❤️🐾
Thank you, Ann! Leif endures the booties but we think he’s adorable in them too!
Great work takes time to develop! Thanks for sharing this reflection and reminder. If you haven’t already read it, you might like Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity. (He also talks about O’Keefe)
Thanks William! I haven’t heard of it, but sounds like something I’d like!
I wrote up some thoughts, in case you're curious before checking out the book: https://zenosarrow.substack.com/p/how-to-de-optimize-your-life
This was encouraging to read and a great reminder to embrace the joy of the process 🫶🏼 I love seeing sketches of great artists. I always felt sketches are a glimpse into the mind of an artist and where the magic happens. It seems to me it is usually when the artist seems the most authentic and how a finish piece starts- with a scribble. I am the most relaxed in my sketchbook versus working on a finished piece.
I agree, A-Chau! Sketches are such great glimpses into the artist’s mind.
Yes!!! This is amazing!! Even Shakespeare had to write Titus Andronicus before he could do Macbeth.
Ha ha, Sarah! I feel like I should have this posted in my studio somewhere.
I remember having a similar feeling at the Guernica exhibit in Madrid. It’s obviously not a lesser work of Picasso but the exhibit included so many preparatory sketches and studies. I could even see where he changed ideas in paint on the canvas leaving some stray marks after he went over it. It showed me just how much time went into it. It was not like he just showed up and painted it all at once in some glowing genius state.
Exactly, you are so right, Katie: "It was not like he just showed up and painted it all at once in some glowing genius state." Such a good thing to remember!