TEDtv – LXD

I love art!

Whether art is painting a picture, inspiring an audience to focus on something greater-than-themselves, the invention of a transformative technology, the librarian carefully stacking each book on the freshly dusted shelf, the programmer writing errorless code, or the plummer methodically fixing the leak in the sink, art is art.  Beautiful and magical, it is the product of sweat, extensive energy, an observant mind, and conscientious revisions, where blanket boringness is translated into the pristine product of an artist!

The challenge is nearly anything can become an art.  One might become an artist at understanding situations and learning new material.  One can be an artist at organizing.  One can be an artist at stacking papers.  There are no limits to art — for, being an artist is an approach rather than a profession.

For me, greatness is 1,000% intertwined with art.

What is it?

Okay, so we all respect artists, but when is something art and what makes an artist?  Art is when one understands a situation, understands the tools one has, and utilizes this understanding to realize a goal.  I often interchange language and art, as languages require you to understand the tools governing that particular discourse/genre (e.g., grammar, diction, pronunciation) to clearly and effectively express a particular situation or feeling.

When to be an artist

However, we must also realize there is more to life than art; and, we cannot be artists at everything for we face time constraints and capacity constraints within the biology which governs our minds and bodies.  Certainly, even if we had infinite time, it is true that we cannot be artists of everything at the same time.  So, then, with what and when should one undertake this approach?

One should first pick a goal (e.g., becoming an artist at X), then apply the artistic approach to whatever factors are statistically significant in an equation which leads to a successful outcome at that goal.  Which factors are statistically significant in becoming an artist at X?  What’s difficult is an artist is also often a perfectionist, and eventually needs to accept imperfection due to some constraint.  It seems fine to “wing it” at discerning which factors to focus on, and one may realize, after many trials, which particular factors are not relevant and which are very relevant — but, can there be a short cut to this trial-by-error approach?

• Relationships are certainly a factor which most of us should be “great” at
• Our professional responsibilities are certainly other aspects

How to be an artist?

Art is achieved when you master (understand and perfect through many trials) a certain set of tools to accomplish a particular objective.  So, for instance, one might want to be an artist at baseball.  Well, baseball entails fielding, hitting, throwing, running, etcetera.  And, when one dedicates one’s self to only baseball, one realizes the intricacies of each of these components.  Moreover, if one were to specialize and dedicate him/herself to just hitting, he or she would realize even greater detail underlying the dynamics of the swing, the force of each arm, the positioning of wrists, etcetera.  My point is this:  First, pick your objective.  What do you want to be an artist in?

Secondly, you must learn the tools (a tedious process requiring much discipline and diligence).  Thirdly, you must master your tools through many trials (experience).

1. Understand through trial, error, and logical vetting

When you know every detail, perfect every detail, and know the result before it happens… that is when it becomes an art.  :)

“CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES” – Mark Twain