Author: Nia Isehak

This chapter was by far my favorite reading we’ve done in this class. Even Though I’m not an artist and do not make art, I could clearly see how each point being made connected with different aspects of my life. One quote on page 30 from Bayles and Orland stuck with me: “Adams was right: to require perfection is to invite paralysis.” I resonated with this line in the context of my writing. I specifically remember the 50+ essays I wrote during  the college applications cycle when I ridiculously decided to apply to 20+ universities. Everytime I sat down to start writing an essay I would freeze up— sometimes, I would even have an anxiety attack. I would sit in that position for hours on end with nothing but a blank document and a blinking cursor to show for it. This memory is what came to my mind when reading this chapter. 

The discussion on annihilation was another interesting point. It touched on how we often intertwine our art or simply what we do with our sense of identity. It reminded me of a concept explored in the book Atomic Habits, where the author explains how our actions and habits stick when we connect them to who we believe we are and that to truly embrace a new identity, we need to provide ourselves with proof. I think this is exactly how Bayles and Orland imagine someone begins to “go down the rabbit hole”.  I used to think that building habits based on identity was genius and could do no harm, but this reading shifted my perspective in a refreshing way.

I thought the talent section was also important and well discussed. It is easy to be plagued with imposter syndrome and imagine that everyone around you has some secret gift that you do not possess. However, I don’t think the authors’ example of the prodigies you see all over the internet and never hear about again made a good case for hard work being more important than talent. This is because, nowadays, recognition and fame is often just the result of luck and the ability to manipulate social media algorithms to work in your favor rather than hard work.

“Hirst is basically a pirate, and his skill is shown by the way in which he has managed to bluff so many art-related people, from museum personnel such as Tate’s Nicholas Serota to billionaires in the New York real-estate trade, into giving credence to his originality and the importance of his “ideas”.” (Hughes, 2008)

Damien Hirst is undeniably one of the most controversial artists of our time, and it’s not without reason. I chose him as the subject of my paper not because I’m a fan of his work, but because I truly believe he is an artist who challenges the traditional definition of art and pushes the boundaries of what art represents. While I will agree with most critics that his pieces are priced ridiculously high, I will be the first to argue that his pieces are incredibly creative, unique and moving. Take his work The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991) for example, also known as The Shark. This piece showcases a whole Tiger Shark fully submerged in formaldehyde in a glass tank. This piece garnered so much attention when it first debuted in 1991, and when it sold for $8million, it stirred up a mix of admiration and criticism. While some critics claimed that the artwork was simply a sensationalist trick, others applauded Hirst for his ability to question and redefine traditional concepts of art and beauty (King).

Despite the criticism, I genuinely believe that Hirst managed to capture the essence of the “physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living.” Usually, people only encounter sharks through screens, books, or the internet. Seeing a shark up close, as portrayed in this artwork, would normally mean you are in a life-threatening situation and are seconds away from dying. This piece puts you in that position and confronts you with the fragility of life and your mortality. Ethics aside, Hirst definitely created an emotionally powerful and thought-provoking artwork. Even looking at it through a screen, I can feel how terrifying it must be to stand in front of this piece and look straight into the open mouth of a tiger shark. 

Another thing I find intriguing about this piece is how it deviates from the usual art you come across in museums and galleries. Instead of the typical paintings or sculptures, Hirst boldly breaks “tradition” by using a real shark as the artistic medium to convey his message. I think this departure from the basics demonstrates his creativity and daring approach, which I truly admire. While many artists might choose to approach the same theme with brush and canvas, Hirst’s decision to bring an actual shark into the art space adds an extra layer of fascination and audacity. If I was walking through that exhibition space in 1991, I would definitely look twice at the giant shark in the room, probably not at the 3×4 painting on one of the many walls. This piece grabs my attention and highlights the unique path Hirst takes in expressing his ideas. It’s this unconventional choice and the sheer nerve behind it that deepen my appreciation for this piece.

References

Hughes, R. (2008, September 13). Day of the Dead. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/sep/13/damienhirst.art

King, E. (n.d.). The king of controversial art: How Damien Hirst shook The World of Contemporary Art: MyArtBroker: Article. MyArtBroker. https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-damien-hirst/articles/the-king-of-controversial-art

Yesterday for our group creation, my group and I made a an apple museum. I was inspired by this idea of collection to make a collection of a certain item into something deeper than the the individual items alone. I know my parents keep a lot receipts at home “incase they ever need it.” I asked my dad to send me a couple pictures to see if I could make a story out of this collection. Below is a collage of the receipts (these are receipts for one person only), and here are the things I was able to tell from this collection:

• Drinks a significant amount of coffee (almost everyday)
• Coffee from the same shop, usually same time (morning)
• He/she probably spends a lot of time in that area (work place? home?)
• Coffee addiction? Age? (based on coffee consumption)
• Country of residence (based on currency and information on receipt)
• Spending habits
• Income bracket he/she belongs to
• How often he/she eats out
• Physical health (Pharmacy receipts, Physiotherapy)
• Age (based on doctor’s visits)
• How developed the city he/she lives in is
• Whether he/she lives in this country or is just visiting

I’ve never considered myself an artist, but I resonated with the line that said, ‘We leave drawings unfinished and stories unwritten. We do work that does not feel like our own. We repeat ourselves. We stop before we have mastered our materials, or continue long after their potential is exhausted.’ Often, I find myself starting a project or learning a craft but never progressing beyond a basic level. I have always attributed this habit to not having found what suits me or simply being interested in too many things. However, I have also recognized a lingering ‘fear’ associated with it.

I have wrongly believed that anything I create must be brilliant and admired by everyone. This misguided belief, coupled with the fear of realizing I lack the ‘genius’ described by Bayles and Orland, has prevented me from pushing past the basics. The discussion of fatalism as a form of fear resonated with me deeply—a fear that suggests our fates are in our hands, but our hands are weak. This understanding of fatalism spoke to me, as it aligns with my own experiences.

Though I don’t consider myself an artist, I still experience these sentiments or rather feelings. That is why I understand the concept of linking the self to the idea of being an artist, as explained in this chapter

In this chapter, Edward de Bono describes the disadvantages of constantly striving to be correct and the barriers it creates for new ideas and creativity. When I first began reading this chapter, I couldn’t comprehend the idea of persisting with a premise knowing that it is wrong. From a logical standpoint, it seemed counterproductive to invest time and effort into something that is fundamentally wrong.

However, as I delved deeper into de Bono’s arguments and reflected on the ideas presented, I started to understand the value in considering an idea that may not be objectively right but could potentially lead to a correct conclusion. This perspective challenged my preconceived and school-taught linear nature of problem-solving (vertical thinking)  and painted a better picture of what it means to think laterally. I saw how it was a more exploratory and open-minded approach. By allowing ourselves to entertain “wrong” ideas, we open up the possibility of uncovering new insights and transforming our underlying assumptions. I see how this shift in thinking can be valuable in problem-solving, as it encourages us to question established beliefs and explore alternative perspectives.

Field.io visit

• Worked with adidas, ikea, think…
• Similar theme across all works
• Very futuristic
• Smaller team than I’d expected
• could be replaced by AI (maybe) but human touch is useful

Robert Seidel

• I felt the emotion in his works. The music definitely played a huge part in that, but his art did make me feel something. I think it’s important that art makes you feel something.
• Transforming art pieces that nobody pays attention to
• His folds creation was my favorite and I can see myself sitting down and getting lost in it.
• He seems very interested in his artwork.
• Humble
• I resonated with him when he said that sometimes he didn’t feel like the artwork was “finished” even years after it’s been on display. It was comforting to know that even real and established artists feel this way.

a continuation of the last creation question:

…why do we need money? to buy food

why do we need food? to have energy

why do we need energy? to be able to move around

why do we need to move around? to get places

why no we need to get places? to get things done

I was trying to brainstorm for my last project on a piece of paper, but my mind kept wandering and I would just end up doodling on the paper. I tried to combine this experience with the idea of writing notes somehow leading to having energy (recharging) and i drew a sort of doodle on lined paper (on an ipad though).

As Bono highlighted in this chapter, the mind’s ability to create and recognize patterns is valuable to us as a survival tool. When I read about how patterns become increasingly established and rigid, shaping our attention and causing anything resembling a standard pattern to be perceived as such, it reminded me of a paragraph I had encountered before. This particular paragraph consisted of words where the first and last letters were in place, but the letters in between were scrambled and rearranged. For instance, “I cnduo’t bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg…” According to research from Cambridge University, the ability to still read and comprehend this sentence demonstrated the incredible power of the human mind. It revealed that the order of letters within a word doesn’t matter as much as the placement of the first and last letters. The rest can be a total mess, yet we can still read it without difficulty. This example really exemplifies the efficiency of our pattern creation and recognition system.

Another thought that crossed my mind was the act of reading in general. I recall reading somewhere that once you acquire the ability to read in any language, your brain automatically reads words when you encounter them. It’s an involuntary process, and it remains a constant presence, unable to be eliminated. I believe this goes to show how pattern creation is an unconscious ability of the mind.

As students, we take notes

Why do we take notes?

To study class content later

Why do we study class content?

To pass our exams

Why do we need to pass our exams?

To graduate

Why do we need to graduate?

To get a degree

Why do we need to get a degree?

To get a job

Why do we need to get a job?

To make money

Why do we need to make money?

To live in a capitalist society

This thought process inspired me to come up with my creation: a “cheque” that represent the connection between note-taking and making money in the future. In this connection, note taking is like writing a personal cheque to ourselves, with the amount reflecting the average worth of a degree per class. The idea is that taking notes is similar to investing in our future, just like writing a cheque for our own benefit.