Scenario B is better for anyone who dreams of making something beautiful and has the strength to suck at it for a long time until they get enough practice in. I made garbage for years before I ever made anything that impressed people. If I believed in scenario A, I would have given up at an early age. The idea that artistic talent comes naturally to the people who are meant to do it sounds like nonsense to me.
What do you say to aspiring artist and photographers? How best to grow their art?
I can’t even pretend I know the best way for anyone to grow their art, but I can say what has helped me. Your mileage may vary. Practice is the obvious answer, and aside from that I’d say make an effort to fail as often as possible. For me, there’s been no greater teacher than failure. I have worked with kids all of my adult life, and all kids are capable of creativity and creation in some way. As they grow and face discouragement and see others who are more talented, they give up. I think it’s good to remind yourself that you might not get to your goal as fast as others, but you can get there if you’re willing to allow your goalsto shift as you realize your specific talents. If you give up, you’ll never get there at all. When I was young I wanted to draw comics. That didn’t happen for me, but I allowed my goals to shift until I found a medium that worked well with my talents.
You are a cancer survivor. How has that experience affected your creative process or your art as a body of work?
The answer that most people prefer to hear is that I’ve learned something, or that it’s been a “journey.” Cancer isn’t a journey or a battle or a lesson. The best I can say is that I’ve learned what it’s like to painfully suffer for a