which curve?

digital art - 2 Much 2 Control - Dan Beck 2008

When I wrote about this digital painting before - I focused on the process and the secondary success not conceived of with the original goal in mind.  There are always secondary gains or successes which were not intended - just as in life.

I like to think that my work is innovative art - that I am always pushing the limits of the medium or my own limits - the limits of my audience which of course includes myself.  If I am doing my job correctly, I will not necessarily appreciate some of the things I do right away… a strange paradox really.

All art comes from somewhere else - all music, all dance, all theatre etc. is not created in a vacuum, but is built upon what is already found elsewhere in culture.  A term I have come to appreciate more than even originality or innovation is authenticity - whether the art is authentic or genuine - coming from the place of being done because it has to be - where appreciation and regard are not a thoughtful consideration.

Innovative - I think, is more about being ahead of the curve …

See Also

• Shape of Something New - a previous departure from the art I was doing at the time - but a road I didn’t travel down - and one which seemed too familiar and previously traveled by others - but a piece I like nonetheless
• Ahead of the Curve - this article takes the curve for granted - career with money
• Ahead of the Curve - clips from university musicians - some authentic - some cloning … obviously originality and innovation are difficult to measure - work that is too different has always been poorly received