Now Showing

Why does showing the work matter? Is it about communication? or approval? or something else?

First thing that springs to mind is that showing work is part and parcel of the whole creative process. A process which I suppose I signed up to when I took the game on all those years ago. Unfortunately though, I don't always step up to the proverbial plate.

For me, the nature of painting is that from time to time I do come up with stuff that I am proud of , but maybe the edge of wanting to share it with people has worn off. At least, not always.

I was thinking about the older rock musician who has countless hours of recorded material, but who is very unhappy about the idea of bits of it being released as it wasn't what he felt he had wanted to say or wasn't crafted as flawlessly as he had wanted.

If you can't show now, you can always leave a mark to be shown in hindsight later. Maybe sometimes , it's not worth the effort to put it out whilst it's still hot.

This is about why I put showing off, rather than why show?!

I have come out with a whole gamut of stuff about the act of exhibiting do's and don'ts, excuses and whatever whilst avoiding the question "why exhibit"
I have even developed a blank area of mind over the issue - writer's block?

When,
on reflection, I realise that a very large part of my output over the last few months has been to do with putting examples of my work out on the internet - both past and present.
I guess I am looking at this question very much from a "what makes me do it angle?" rather than the philosophy of "what is the point of doing it?"