Saturday 10 December 2011

Experiment and gimmick

What is experimental and what is gimmicky?
When an artist starts becoming more creative and new leaves are sprouting he is bound to experiment to strech his capability in both execution and imagination. And then on showing them, reviews are bound to come. Reviews, comments and remarks....


What we are concerned here is not what people certify your efforts as, but what artist feels while painting and what he thinks of his finished efforts. All experiments at least for artist himself are new experiences and untrodden paths. He gropes in dark finding his steps. The experience is really thrilling. So all the while any honest experiment is going to be new innovative search. But the honesty is the main criteria. 


What happens in the end largely depends on this one major aspect. Are you true to yourself? The fine line of demarcation between experiment and gimmick isn't decided by peoples' choice awards. That is known to artist when germination of idea is happening. Am I honest?



He knows if he is experimenting to find or challenge himself or it is experiment for the sake of it! And 99 % of later cases it turns out gimmicky. It has no justification of yearning or search. It is not in competition with your own capability  till now... not to challenge your own standards but to dazzle others. It is not because of spontaneous flow of creativity but forced circus by which you expect viewers to be awed!

Ask if you thought of the idea to dazzle, to make a splash or the idea came into being out of dissatisfaction and yearning to go further. What viewers say isn't worth much for understanding this phenomenon.  Viewers may genuinely get awed and impressed if you execute well enough. Or they may find it gimmicky if your honest search lacks good implementation. .... if your idea lacks support of skill!!  So viewers many times may not know whats happenning.


But artist? A harsh look inside... a look back on the whole process will tell you.  If you were truely experimenting which dazzled later or you tried to make a big impression which though impressed all,  deep inside was a gimmick. Or it fell flat on its face despite good intentions and was labled gimmick? 

Or you are competitive to your peers? Me too game ....making you show your prowess of new experiment?  This is very base motive but sadly often seen. And this me too game will suck the painter into an abyss and though he may fool himself sometimes, the final result is complete loss of real search and experiment! The honesty which was talked about earlier also calls for being your own and not aping or competing.
Ask....

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