here is post from robert genn. i have permission to repost his column.
IMHO this is a valid point. i will have additional comments at the end.
i respect anyone who disagrees with this perspective.
i do not expect everyone to agree with me,
but this might shed some light on why i critique my envelopes.
The art of negative thinking
May 17, 2013
Recently,
I had the opportunity to look over the shoulders of two painters who
were giving demonstrations on the same day. The first was almost
deliriously positive and bubbly about his work, his wonderful life as an
artist and his prior successes. Enthusiastic throughout, he shouted
epiphanies and dispensed "empowerment" like rose petals at a wedding.
The
second demonstrator spoke less and, when he did, it was mostly about
problems he was having with the work--and other more worrisome ones that
lay ahead. A couple of times he got himself into trouble--but he
scratched his brain and was able to recover. Guess what--the gloomy
malcontent did the better painting. We all applauded when he held it up.
There were whistles. He didn't even smile.
This
understanding has now been backed up in a new book by former Indiana
and Texas Tech college basketball coach Bob Knight, aided by Bob Hammel:
The Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach to Achieving Positive Results.
"Superiority
and success doesn't favor good effort or self-esteem," says Knight,
"and it definitely doesn't hand out trophies for participation. The
mentally precise and physically fit win, while the mediocre and obtuse
take solace in hopeful cliches."
Bob
and Bob have come to the conclusion that if you're perennially upbeat
you're just setting yourself up for defeat. The positive thinker, they
think, has a chronic "no danger ahead" disorder. He's so busy believing
in himself that he's blindsided by oncoming problems and his own
shortcomings.
Success, it seems, favours rigorous self-criticism. Here are some other interesting items I gleaned from the book:
Never
gloat. Don't talk too much. Don't seek praise. Failure is endemic.
Success is being hard to please. Be intolerant of failure. The easiest
person to fool is yourself. Know your weaknesses. Be tough. Never let
scanty positives override glaring negatives. Don't be a good loser.
Don't satisfy yourself by just knowing you can do it. Do it. And by the
way, keep God out of your equations:
"So
when I hear a guy after a game-winning home run say or gesture that God
was on his side," says Bob Knight, "I think to myself, 'He's saying God
screwed the pitcher.' "
Best regards,
Robert
PS:
Positive wish: "The sun will come out tomorrow." Negative reality:
"Yeah, and it will flash brand-new daylight on the same old mess unless
something is done to clean it up." (
Bob Knight)
Esoterica:
All my life I've noted artists who talk a good job and do a poor one.
Perhaps it's our ego (particularly, but not always, in men) that keeps
us on the muddy path to mediocrity. You know the type. They ask for help
but what they really want is praise. These folks are stuck with what
Bob Knight calls "the optimism bias." By thinking you are cleverer and
more talented than your buddies, many a career has been blotted. My
personal bias is that Bobs know better than everyone else. Bob Knight
and Bob Hammel have a point. Be negative.
*****jean's comments
isn't it interesting how art and sports can be compared? on the surface, they seem so different but they are both activities that engage your right-brain AND your left-brain - if you allow that to happen.
when i point out things that i don't like about my work, i am not saying that my art is bad or that i lack skills, i am just saying that i can see an opportunity to change something so that i like the piece better. and maybe i won't like it better after i see it. it is just being open to options and experimenting.
if you don't like options and you just want to execute projects where you know what to do and do not have to make decisions... that's fine with me. i, too, like to spend some of my time on projects that are simply focused on a pre-set pattern. they can be very relaxing projects where i enjoy the activity (the process) and give my brain a rest.
