An artist’s sensibility
In a conversation with a colleague, the approach taken to practising by another of our peers was touched upon. It wasn’t the fact that this fellow was diligent, but the sensibility that made him choose specific things to work on that we found most interesting.
Perhaps due to the power of mass communications since the start of the 20th Century, a lot of artists have looked westwards for inspiration in their creative work. This is not to suggest that a stimulus is most valuable when it comes from an affluent source. It is simply a choice that many folks have made.
As an emerging artist, I read information about artisans who were trained in traditional crafts skills in the Far East. I was impressed by the number of years that each craftsperson was expected to dedicate to learning the craft before gaining access to opportunities to function as a professional.
Once an artist is equipped with the relevant range of skills for doing the job, the most significant attribute he or she needs is the creative energy and that indefinable way of perceiving the world that Miles Davis described as “attitude”.
Is this one of the reasons why the most influential British popular musicians from the golden age of the record business were products of art colleges, as opposed to conservatoires?
