This is a placeholder essay (more like an extended note, or a brief, really) that I will probably expand upon at another time.
My training as a painter happened in intensives and workshops held at private studios. One of the challenges that teachers in these settings face is that the level of seriousness varies from student to student. As such, the level of criticism they are willing to face runs a gamut, as well as the amount of time, energy, and sanity they are willing to sacrifice to the gods of art.
There is a story—an apocrypha that I find myself sharing often with the people I meet in the classroom setting—of a famed and masterful violinist, who gives a concert to rapturous applause and tears of joy. The violinist gets off stage, and is of course set upon by a mob of adoring fans. One of these enraptured concertgoers pleads, “oh, if only I could play the violin like you, I would give anything!” The violinist replies, “would you give twelve hours a day for the rest of your life?”
Part 2: The Hand and The Instrument
Part 3: The Word and The Poem
Part 4: The Subject and The Object