Post by DMNate on Jan 29, 2014 8:31:22 GMT
I almost posted this in "Tips and Tricks" but... I guess I didn't, as should be obvious to the casual observer of this thread on account of it being posted in general crafting. Hehe.
Anyway, I thought I'd like to share my thoughts about crafting in general (as well as art in general) and the challenges creators must face. The most frustrating one for me is the creator's curse.
For those who are not aware of it, this is when someone learns how to better craft something by crafting that very thing. This results in you immediately being in a state where you can craft a better *whatever it is you're crafting* than you were before you crafted it. This can make you unsatisfied with the finished product that you just completed.
It's frustrating, because it makes you realize that if you did it again, you could do it better. Sadly, if you were to do it again, you'd learn even more, be more practiced, and be left in a similar situation right after, again.
There are a few of ways one can overcome this.
1. You can not care about quality.
This has some obvious drawbacks, but it has some benefit that is worth mentioning. Quality is ABSOLUTELY a relative term. Quality to you is not quality to me is not quality to your players is not quality to your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/pet-turtle/whatever. Now, POOR quality has a more universal meaning. It is important to remember the nuanced difference between those two things. It's easy to get bogged down with trying to reach your own impossible goals of "quality". It's not a bad idea to let that go and just practice for a while. Keep things from slacking, but don't worry about advancing until you feel comfortable with what you've already put on your plate.
2. You can worry about quality.
Though I wouldn't suggest it for others, I'll be honest and admit this is the path I generally "choose" to go down. I use the term "choose" loosely, as I wish I didn't fall into this mindset so often. It's a path where you'll likely find great progress, but a severe lack of trust in that progress. It's a path where you cannot trust your friends, for they protect you from the truth; you cannot trust your enemies, for they will hide you from the truth; and you cannot trust yourself, because you are surrounded by your own bias. This is the pained path of an artist, where you must admit to yourself that art can never be completed. It can only be abandoned.
3. You can dance.
This is what I'd say would be the wisest way to go if one could get their head in this space. To understand that the end is not the goal. To craft for the honest love of making things with your hands. When a musician is playing a song, his or her goal isn't to reach the end of the song the fastest, else they'd only play the very shortest songs and never even bother with playing a masterpiece. The point is to find music. To dance.
Anyway, I thought I'd like to share my thoughts about crafting in general (as well as art in general) and the challenges creators must face. The most frustrating one for me is the creator's curse.
For those who are not aware of it, this is when someone learns how to better craft something by crafting that very thing. This results in you immediately being in a state where you can craft a better *whatever it is you're crafting* than you were before you crafted it. This can make you unsatisfied with the finished product that you just completed.
It's frustrating, because it makes you realize that if you did it again, you could do it better. Sadly, if you were to do it again, you'd learn even more, be more practiced, and be left in a similar situation right after, again.
There are a few of ways one can overcome this.
1. You can not care about quality.
This has some obvious drawbacks, but it has some benefit that is worth mentioning. Quality is ABSOLUTELY a relative term. Quality to you is not quality to me is not quality to your players is not quality to your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/pet-turtle/whatever. Now, POOR quality has a more universal meaning. It is important to remember the nuanced difference between those two things. It's easy to get bogged down with trying to reach your own impossible goals of "quality". It's not a bad idea to let that go and just practice for a while. Keep things from slacking, but don't worry about advancing until you feel comfortable with what you've already put on your plate.
2. You can worry about quality.
Though I wouldn't suggest it for others, I'll be honest and admit this is the path I generally "choose" to go down. I use the term "choose" loosely, as I wish I didn't fall into this mindset so often. It's a path where you'll likely find great progress, but a severe lack of trust in that progress. It's a path where you cannot trust your friends, for they protect you from the truth; you cannot trust your enemies, for they will hide you from the truth; and you cannot trust yourself, because you are surrounded by your own bias. This is the pained path of an artist, where you must admit to yourself that art can never be completed. It can only be abandoned.
3. You can dance.
This is what I'd say would be the wisest way to go if one could get their head in this space. To understand that the end is not the goal. To craft for the honest love of making things with your hands. When a musician is playing a song, his or her goal isn't to reach the end of the song the fastest, else they'd only play the very shortest songs and never even bother with playing a masterpiece. The point is to find music. To dance.