i've started to compile material for my portfolio, which means that i've been going through a lot of my "old work" from, oh, last year. is it normal to hate the work that you've done in the past? i think it must be. while i in no way wish to devalue the experience i gained by doing that work, or somehow imply that i'm just the best ever graphic designer presently, i just—don't really like most of what i've done in the past.
this proves to be problematic when trying to put together a portfolio.
so much of my past work seems really amateurish and "green" compared to the direction my work is taking now, but it kind of reminds me of that scene in "annie hall" when woody allen and diane keaton are on the plane back from los angeles, having their break-up talk and woody compares their relationship to a shark:
"a relationship, i think, is like a shark. you know? it has to constantly move forward or it dies. and i think what we got on our hands is a dead shark."
i think that's how it goes with work, too. the moment you think you've "arrived" and you no longer have anywhere to go is the moment when you may as well just give up and stop. so maybe for that reason i shouldn't "hate" my old work—well certainly i shouldn't be ashamed of it. that'd be like being ashamed of wetting the bed at the age of two or crying the first time you fell off your bike.
so maybe the real problem would be if i got myself potty trained and off the training wheels and then said, "well now, i guess i'm an adult."
1 comment:
This is exactly how I feel about my work.
Have you ever forgot to save your latest creation and then Photoshop crashed? It happens to me more than I like to admit. The worst part is that when I have to recreate what I made, it's usually better. I know what the end looks like and the process--all the ways i went wrong, are no longer needed, I just do it right the first time.
Looking back at old things I've made makes me cringe. I want to redo them because I now know how it should look and feel. George Lucas does that and I've lost all respect for him. Being an artist means that you're constantly learning - even if you don't know that you are.
I like the shark analogy, but it lacks something. You do arrive at certain skills and know how to use them without too much thought--that's not a bad thing, in fact, that enables you to find new other skills to master.
The shark thing works on a large scale, but when applied to smaller skill sets, it makes me feel like mastering something is a setback. When it's a way of learning how to catch swimmers faster and more efficiently, not wasting any time on the skinny surfers.
Post a Comment