Art is a process for understanding life better. It's a way of seeing the world. Those who see more create more artfully. For those wanting to expand their ways of seeing I really recommend the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. This is the book that every employee at Pixar is required to read whether they are an animator or a janitor.
Reading this, I can't help but wonder if we've all been misunderstanding "art imitates life" this whole time. I would even say that etymologically speaking, the very phenomenon of creativity demands polycameral engagement and execution specifically so that the result can present new ways of thinking, feeling, understanding, and experiencing. Love this one, Ed.
Hello Ed, and congrats on this well-written article! I was wondering, from what text did you find the quote “However good they are - and some truly are great - these movies are strict subsets of earlier films. Their ambitions feel constrained, their identities small. This closed-loop cinema feels oddly hermetic: cinema as Narcissus, obsessed with its own reflection.” I have been looking for the origin of this quote for two years. I was very inspired by the imagery and wanted to use it in my art, but I do not possess the book I believe i found it in. :( So far all that comes up when I search the keywords is your post! I would be so extremely grateful to you for sharing the quotes source, bc I would hate to misquote while working on my master's thesis on the French New Wave. Any help you could give me I would sincerely appreciate.
Art is a process for understanding life better. It's a way of seeing the world. Those who see more create more artfully. For those wanting to expand their ways of seeing I really recommend the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. This is the book that every employee at Pixar is required to read whether they are an animator or a janitor.
Thanks, Zach! Haven't heard of that one - sounds cool!
Fire article :)
Thanks, Jakob!
Reading this, I can't help but wonder if we've all been misunderstanding "art imitates life" this whole time. I would even say that etymologically speaking, the very phenomenon of creativity demands polycameral engagement and execution specifically so that the result can present new ways of thinking, feeling, understanding, and experiencing. Love this one, Ed.
Thanks, Charlotte! You've put it far more eloquently than I could! (Although I did have to Google 'polycameral' haha)
Haha, it's one of my new favourite words, and I confess that I'm still in the phase of using it liberally.
Hello Ed, and congrats on this well-written article! I was wondering, from what text did you find the quote “However good they are - and some truly are great - these movies are strict subsets of earlier films. Their ambitions feel constrained, their identities small. This closed-loop cinema feels oddly hermetic: cinema as Narcissus, obsessed with its own reflection.” I have been looking for the origin of this quote for two years. I was very inspired by the imagery and wanted to use it in my art, but I do not possess the book I believe i found it in. :( So far all that comes up when I search the keywords is your post! I would be so extremely grateful to you for sharing the quotes source, bc I would hate to misquote while working on my master's thesis on the French New Wave. Any help you could give me I would sincerely appreciate.