Do I have to be the one to do this? ;-) (beware: long)
Posted by Rupal on September 9, 2001 at 02:11:53:
In reply to: Asking the forum's opinion: Do you want my book? posted by Nick on September 9, 2001 at 01:18:08:
Read Aristotle's "Poetics" sometime, Nick (you'll probably get to itwhen you learn Greek drama). The first thing it will tell you is
that ART IS IMITATION. By this, Aristotle was pointing out that Art
in its essence imitates reality, which is a little different from the
imitation that you are talking about. Nevertheless, I think that in
art, especially in arts such as henna, it is impossible to delve into
the cultural traditions of that craft without picking up techniques,
styles, and yes, designs that other people have done. Lately I have
been taking pen to paper and creating my "own" designs, which
inevitably incorporate techniques or motifs which I have seen
elsewhere.
Also, don't worry about people "speeding ahead" where you are lagging
behind. I'm a full-time student too, remember, and I'm just as "slow"
as, if not slower than, you, in developing my own design collection.
Don't worry so much about the speed at which you are getting designs
out; instead, concentrate on the quality, and publish when you _want_
to publish. Don't pressure yourself into just getting the job done
to speed ahead; we all work on different timetables, and you have a
LOT of time. Hell, I'm about to graduate from college, and I still
feel like I have a lot of time to decide what I want to do. I know
that you feel that you are growing up fast and that you know what you
want without being able to pursue it full-force, but there's no need
to feel too frustrated about it. Instead, bask in the fact that you
know what you like, and open your mind to everything you can; that's
what high school and college are for. "Time" recently quoted one of
America's leading cardiologists, who studied Literature in college
because he knew that he'd be spending his whole life in the lab.
I know I'm getting way off topic here, but essentially, you've got
time to meet your goals, and don't worry if other stuff "gets in the
way" of your goals. Instead, take your delaying instances as
opportunities rather than let-downs, and realize that your
perfectionism is a gift, not a problem.
To reiterate on your "originality" issue, I am convinced that it's
impossible to do mehndi art without imitating. Moreover I believe
that your designs are quite original. Arts that use the arrangement
of symbols can be quite confusing to place; often it's better to
refer to henna art as "craft" or "design." As a freelance designer,
I have a strong appreciation for the effort that goes into
arrangement and form, and that is what you are giving to people who
buy a henna book. It's easy to draw a swirl, but how do you arrange
it with other swirls to make it look nice on three-dimensional skin?
In that sense, you may want to focus on hand/body designs that
emphasize balance. Take the design you drew on me, for instance; I
noticed that you extended your "background" checkerboard/flower
pattern onto my middle finger and then attached a border. I loved
this aspect of your design - that it had form, continuous motifs, and
good balance. I could discuss countless other properties of your
design, but this is all to say that what you created was *new*,
*innovative*, and *book-worthy*. Good luck and don't let delays get
you down; we all have different priorities at different points, and
it's not good to berate ourselves because we want to get decent
grades in school or go out with friends instead of concentrating
solely on one project!
~Rupal, who's started so many projects herself that she always has
something good to do when she wants to procrastinate.
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