I had lunch this week with a bon-a-fide ARTIST. He is graciously helping out the non profit I work for with some design work and advertising. We had a nice lunch and productive meeting, with some great new projects in the works.
During the course of our talk, we discussed various aspects of our work that is frustrating.
It frustrates me that music is so fleeting. I worked very hard for 8 months on a recital: learned 18 songs, 13 that made the cut, detailed language work, memorization, rhythm and melody, coordinated rehearsals, and balanced life in the middle. It was absolutely worth it, and the work is not the problem, in fact it is the pleasure of the job. But the performance is the icing on the cake, and it was over in an hour. 1 HOUR!!
There is a beautiful DVD of the performance, and a great CD with the dress rehearsal complete with cherished comments by my coach. There are my own memories, my children and husband's recall, and about 50 folks who made the effort to listen. All those are wonderful, but abstract. Skewed by perspective and time, media is not concrete. Memories are not reliable. I want that moment back, that time of performing, the finished product, imperfections and all.
So I am relaying this to my friend, who patiently sits there, looks at me and then proceeds to tell me how hard it is for an artist with the ability to constantly change a finished product, looking at how he has evolved, constantly seeing his work as 'In Progress'. Then he says to me:
"At least it's not around all the time to haunt you"
Indeed, indeed.
4 comments:
I can't watch a video I've produced or look at an essay or poem I've written without wanting to tinker with it further. Even after I am 'done'. One thing I've been taught as a filmmaker is that a film is never finished. It's abandoned.
A good example of leaving your previous work alone is George Lucas and the original 3 Star Wars movies. I don't think I met anyone who was happy with the changes he made to those movies years after they had been finished. Do you? We never see our own work in the same context as those who only get to see the finished result. You never know, maybe someone will see your work and think you are a genius or incredibly talented. And YOU ARE TALENTED!! Methinks we should listen to those people!
On the other hand, when you think about it, everything about this life is fleeting . . . :)
Very profound indeed! I agree, music is very fleeting, and it stinks that you practice sooooo often, and you are only gratified for however long the song takes, but the good thing is that that gratification that you learned a piece that a composer poured his/her heart and soul into is awesome! Hooray! I just commented!
CBC
Is your CD for sale? I have a friend (you might know her, Angel Buchberger) that is interested in purchasing one. Oh, AND your Christmas gift gave me a great idea!!! I am going to take the recipe that is on it and make cookies to go with it and then put it on ALL of the ugly Christmas candy dishes I have and give them ALL away to neighbors... Getting rid of them is a gift to me. (the candy dishes not the neighbors) :) :)
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