Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Distance lends enchantment to the view - sometimes

Talent takes time to develop
At art class yesterday, we were pondering about meaning in pictures and whether the artist had in mind all those subtleties that we pick up on. Was he really thinking about eternity, say, or did he just want to paint a nice view? Was the symbolism intentional or is it just our interpretation, based on learned responses? What does it all mean, if anything?

We wondered if any of the greats ever looked at their old sketchbooks and thought, 'Wow, I really couldn't draw hands back then!' Or at some of their finished works and couldn't remember what inspired them, or why they'd felt so gloomy that day.

I've been looking over some of the stories and articles I've written over the years with the idea of reusing them in a couple of books and other projects. Some have stood the test of time and will need little attention. Others have made me think, 'That's better than I remember it.' Others still, 'What was I thinking!'

Growing up isn't about getting older, it's about learning and developing.
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11 comments:

  1. Rosemary Gemmell4 October 2017 at 15:52

    Completely agree about learning and developing, Julia - I have a few old stories that will never see the light of day!

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  2. Julia Thorley4 October 2017 at 17:05

    Indeed, Rosemary. I have just consigned one to the 'never use this' heap - though I can't quite bring myself to throw it away.

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  3. Deborah Barker9 October 2017 at 11:55

    I agree with you about us learning and developing rather than just growing older, Julia. As for the artists looking back on their work, I imagine they were never quite content with the finished piece in the first place. LOL!

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    1. Julia Thorley10 October 2017 at 16:28

      That's so true, Deborah. We can keep tinkering indefinitely.

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  4. Wendy's Writing10 October 2017 at 13:54

    That reminds me of when I was at school studying D H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. During our lessons on his use of symbolism, I couldn't help thinking, 'wouldn't it be funny if he'd never meant meant his references to flowers, coal mines etc to be symbolic at all!'

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  5. PlanetKimberly13 October 2017 at 19:31

    Sometimes I look at my old drawings and think, "Whoa! What a bunch of crap!" but then there are other drawings where I think, "Damn, those are really good! I'm a pretty good artist!" Hahaha! Sometimes those happy accidents make people think you've done something profound and you don't know whether to answer truthfully or pretend like you meant to do that.

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    1. Julia Thorley21 October 2017 at 10:14

      I think we can get too close to our own work to judge it. It's only when it's stood a while and we rediscover it that we can be more dispassionate. Thanks for commenting.

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  6. Patsy20 October 2017 at 14:39

    If I ask myself what I was thinking when I wrote any of my stories, good or bad, I very rarely have an answer.

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    1. Julia Thorley21 October 2017 at 10:18

      Who knows where are inspiration comes from, Patsy. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Maria28 October 2017 at 19:58

    I like looking back at old stuff. Who knows what makes us write what we do, although I do think we give a little bit of ourselves away in our writing.

    I especially like looking back at old blog posts. I started in 2009, and it's interesting to see what I was doing way back then.

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