I've often talked about tools and constraints and how limitations can help drive creativity, but sometimes it's good to remember that it's a balance after all. This week I bought some new pens and as reminded just how nice it is to use a pen that's full of ink and hasn't had its nib damaged from use. Turns out there's value to be found on every point of the spectrum.
What's more, I read an interesting article this week about how a lot of artists become successful thank to who they know, as opposed to the work they produce. It's essentially an affirmation of the old axiom, but it was presented with the slant that artists promoting other artists are what leads to success. Turns out that being original and good at what you do might not actually be enough… who'd have thunk it.
Apologies for being all over the place, but I must also interject that these first three doodles look a bit weird and terrible because I thought it might be fun to try out some coloured markers I bought ages ago. I didn't realise until it was too late that they would bleed profusely through the paper that makes up my sketchbook, so I quickly went back to simple ink lines instead. Perhaps when I get a sketchbook of bank/sealed paper, I'll get the markers out again and play with some colour.
Anyway, the idea of success being tied to something other than talent isn't exactly a fresh concept to me. I've never really thought that the world was a meritocracy, as I'm sure we can all point to someone in our lives who should be much more successful than they currently are. The hard fact is that being good at something is often just one piece of the puzzle, and sometimes it's not even necessary.
Even if we remove tradeable skills, I'm sure we all know someone who is a genuinely decent and honest person, but they aren't all that popular or successful socially. As a general misfit, I have a lot of friends who have so much to offer the world, but have been overlooked because they're more interested in being a good person, than an impressive one.
Well it turs out that people have been studying this phenomenon for a while, because the other thing we hate to do as a society is accept anything unless it's been rigorously tested 'scientifically'. I'll never understand the need to quantify the qualitative, but apparently any experience in life isn't worth much until it can be quantified and measured against every other quantifiable element.
Of no surprise to just about anyone in the arts (in all arts that is), we now get to see that success is not tied to talent after all. As if we needed any more proof, but it seems like the world of personality reaches beyond business networks and into our cultural arts and humanities as well. It's not enough to contribute something genuine and honest, if you don't impress the right people you're just about guaranteed to be consigned to obscurity.
I suppose the saving grace is that none of this is news to anyone who's worked in the arts for any serious amount of time. There are many great artists, musicians, actors, whatever out there, who just haven't been in the right place at the right time yet. Thankfully though, it's already a known quantity to those who it effects.
Especially in my culture, the arts have never been given much status, and every artist I know has been discouraged from their craft many times. Other people are always telling us that we'll never make much money and that success is a lottery, and it comes from a genuinely kind place of concern, but none of that matters. I don't think anyone gets into the arts because they want to make a lot of money, or if they do then they're more likely to be sorely disappointed than vindicated.
Part of why I love artists in general is because they're often creating art because they don't know how to stop. It's in their nature and it doesn't matter how much money or success they miss out on, they'll always be an artist because it's part of who they are. To me it's one of the most wonderful vocations on the planet and incredibly valuable to the future of humanity, but that's because I'm already converted. Then the need to create is as strong as the need to ingest food into your body, you know you're an artist and that's the only qualifier you need.
So sure it's nice to see that some scientist has determined that success isn't linked to talent in our society, but it's far from news to my ears. At best it's confirmation of something we've all known forever, and at worst it's just another example of humanity's need to try and explain and quantify things that aren't easily understood.
You don't have to be an artist to empathise with the falsity of meritocratic systems, you just need to be a member of society. If you want success then go ahead and play the game, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to your own truth regardless of reward. Honesty is always the best policy… keep it simple.