What would you give up for perfection/complete mastery of your art?

1. 70

   stanwshuraposted 12 years ago

   What would you give up for perfection/complete mastery of your art?
   
   What would you sacrifice, material or otherwise, for total perfection in your "field" or art.  Would you give up all your material good, for example, to be able to think like Albert Einstein or Steven Hawking?  Would you as a pianist, give up a leg - or both?? - to have the command, ear, passion and technical mastery of a Liszt, Mozart, Chopin, or for that matter Bud Powell or Bill Evans?    I think answers both realistic and "deals with the devil" sort of hypotheticals could both be very interesting!

   replyreport
2. 81

   GmaGoldieposted 12 years ago

   Great question!  Artists, creative fields including the scientists who forge new grounds must meet with great adversity.  Even with fame and fortune, there is the continued pressure to outdo yourself and keep the brand alive.  Deals with the devil are off the table - continued effort, loss of material goods are on the table, affecting the fortunes of the family are off the table.  Those with children have less ability to forge new ground and be the creative artist or innovator that they desire.

   replyreport
3. 60

   masrawyposted 12 years ago

   great question mr stanwshura  .
   for me i dont seek for complete art as I believe that nothing is complete  or can be complete . Only god is complete . In my art , I would do my best and lots of hard work . That is all what i can do  and the rest is from my god .
   hope my answer is ok with you .
   thanks for asking
   masrawy

   replyreport
4. 86

   randomcreativeposted 12 years ago

   I would like to be more focused on a few things instead of spreading my efforts in so many different directions.  I want to "do it all" and obviously can't.

   replyreport
5. 74

   kestranaposted 12 years ago

   It would be difficult to be a master pianist without a leg to work the pedals... ;-) but I digress. I was actually faced with this decision in music, whether I wanted to give up my social life and other interests to devote myself to the work required to be a professional musician. I simply couldn't do it and I don't know that I would treasure the mastery of the craft if I didn't get there through hard work and sacrifice. In many ways I think the journey is what makes you the master and not just your technical ability.

   replyreport
6. 70

   onegoodwomanposted 12 years ago

   Not one simple thing is more  important to me than " this moment".
   
   Not dinner with my hubby, not a visit from my adult child, not a grin from the face of a neighbors newborn.
   
   
   There is NO perfection on this earth ( other than Jesus) that I would give up my life  for. 
   
   My life is made of dreams and moments....................I choose the moments over the  dreams.

   replyreport
7. 61

   seichepreyposted 12 years ago

   Personally I don't think that there is such a thing as perfection in one's art, so I guess I wouldn't be able to give up anything.

   replyreport
8. 83

   bethperryposted 12 years ago

   I don't know what I'd give up because with my ego I'd want to master my art by my own determination. Sounds awful but true, lol.

   replyreport
9. 40

   Borsiaposted 12 years ago

   Life doesn't really work that way. If you want to be a great pianist then you will have to devote your life to practice.
   If you want to be a "great thinker" you have to choose your subject then study and explore it.
   In any case it is more about seeing it from a different prospective, finding the angles that others have missed.
   But no amount of sacrifice can change the way you are. It is more about finding the "art" that speaks to you and that you can have the kind of passion that the greats have for their arts.
   We are all good at something, sadly many of us never figure out what that something is.

   replyreport
10. 70

    stanwshuraposted 12 years ago

    You all have so many good points.  The last several spoke to one issue I deliberately left vague - the thing one ACTUALLY gives up to become a "master" at one thing - the time and effort; the mental, physical and *emotional* energy it takes to strive through the difficulties and "lock yourself in the woodshed" for all those hours and hours - for years and years.
    
    Yeah - the woodshed reference should be familiar to any of my fellow musicians.  I am in fact a pianist.  Well - call me a piano player as the aforementioned devotion has lapsed some.  From about age 9 to maybe early thirties, there wasn't ONE day when I didn't play...
    
    I'm trying to get back to where I was.  It still defines who I am - as it formed me and my self-concept growing up.
    
    Knowing all that, I asked the question to see what, if anything compares, even hypothetically, and what folks here fathom is worth sacrificing.  I guess I was "thinking out loud" about the magical thinking versus the reality of life, and what the conversation would sou...look like.

    replyreport