Consider this about advice:
"Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth."
I'm open to critique on my art, and other artists should be too because nobody ever reaches perfection. Though every statement has to be taken with a grain of salt.
I see many students and graduates trying to figure out where to go from here. Some give advice without being asked for it. Some follow advice because they can't make decisions for themselves. Some flounder for too long because someone gave them some bad advice. I'm a supporter of taking time alone to think about what it is you really want and weigh the value of everything else, without any other person's influence. Because it's your life, not theirs.
1 comment:
I had to think about the quote for a few days. I hadn't really considered advice as more of a self-serving concept (as in, it is for the adviser more than the advised), but I think there's a little truth in it.
In general, though, I have to disagree. I think advice, good or bad, is always helpful to me, even if only to clarify my own opinion that I shouldn't do things a certain way. Since my art (and my actions) are always going to be perceived by others, it is good to get others' opinions of what I do, or to get direction from others that have been in a similar position before. The rub comes (and I think this is where we both agree) when people rely on this advice for the whole of what they do, rather than using their inner motivation to make the best decisions. I've seen other people do this; they only follow external input and then, when they're unhappy, blame others for their bad advice. It's sad to me, but I have a hard time understanding it. Ideally, I think it's best to have your own ideas and your own goals, but to allow learned outside advice to shape, when necessary, your path for getting there.
As my father would say, "If you respect the source, respect the comment. I don't respect many sources, so their comments have little effect on me."
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