Avoiding other works in your chosen artistic field(s)

Hm, that's interesting. The 'social' aspect is of less immediate consequence to me in that I'm not exhibiting work per se, so perhaps there is something particularly different between how the two media are accessed and consumed that is good to keep in mind, as opposed to, say, the impulses that can drive creation in those media.

Maybe because reading takes so damn much time?

Well, I think painting and writing are similar in that at some point, you're soliciting feedback whether it be from friends or strangers, so I think both are equally social. I'm not of course referring to art openings ... but at the same time, I think there is are similarities between the gallery and the bookstore and then the art "happening" (if you will) and a reading.

I think it was me. It's not so much a matter of not wanting to listen as it is not needing or caring to listen because your mind is already working on music problems. Of course at the same time a little listening is good to give you things to react to or steal from. I'm thinking I should plunge back into the music thing a bit.

Finding out about galleries and shows and artists and materials can be pretty time consuming as well.

Perhaps so, my friend! But I think I also read something similar in an interview with someone else many years back.

Mainly, it's nice to know that you're not the only one out there who is interested in the same thing. That can be a really big moral boost, especially in a city like LA.
but this isn't social ned. i don't think. to me it's like when you have an idea you want to champion or communicate and others are doing it too and it's like, awww, they're like me! we should all hang out! you feel part of a movement and it's nice and bigger than yourself. instead of a big ego competition of who can make something cooler and more original and get famous first.

Cards on the table here - I just think that there are fundamental qualitative differences between writing fiction and other media, like painting or music. Perhaps less so with poetry, but...

anyway, I agree with lolita.

If you want to have a purely emotional response, then yeah, that's right, but if you're looking at it through a technical or conceptual lens, then you would be smart to place the work of art in its appropriate context. Some pieces have drastically different meanings than the common literal interpretation. That's not to say that this isn't the case with literature as well, but I think there's a huge difference in that viewing art is often a very physical experience, much more so than reading a book.

Gosh, kinda sounds social to me! :-) SoCal social if you will. ;-)

Some pieces have drastically different meanings than the common literal interpretation.

You don't say.

anyway. more socal socials!

I just wanted to say to Ned that I don't find it strange at all.

Thanks! I was curious about this shift upon reflection, but since I wasn't disturbed or annoyed -- nowhere near as profoundly as I was two years ago when I hit my music burnout phase -- it was something I more arched my eyebrow at and then moved on from.

One thing that has been a particular pleasure in my fiction writing has been finding different styles and approaches that satisfy and entertain myself. That I can write a range from extremely absurd comedy to psychological horror and be satisfied (not egotistically gibbering, but at least satisfied) with the results has been a source of profound gratification, as have been the comments from readers.

There is a title to this thread and it is Avoiding others works in your chosen artisitc field(s) not Let us now talk about writing once again.

Anyway, off for now but will be back later with a couple more thoughts perhaps.

A tangent on this is that I've found myself completely uninterested in reading arts criticism of things/genres I'm actively involved. (ex.) I've read almost nothing in the way of photography criticism, but I've got a shelf of books about film and architecture and sculpture. When my teenage dream was to be the next Hemingway (sans shotgun and misogyny) I was very hostile to the basic analytical methods we were learning in school, but as that dream faded (with the realization I didn't enjoy writing fiction much less do it well) I found myself far more open to criticism and theory.

this is the most full of shit thing to do. soooo awful. shame on you, chris!!!!!!!

You want to, like, justify that?

Perhaps you are reading wrong?

This only goes for recording though, if I'm going to be playing gigs in a certain style it's good for me to get immersed in it.

I'm sort of glad I didn't seriously take up writing so that I can enjoy reading without any baggage or self-esteem crises.

I think as you mature as an artist you get more selective, and would rather spend the time working on your own thing than watching someone else do what you'd rather be doing.

Regarding making music, though, I think you have to listen to a lot of music for it to turn out well, otherwise your notions of it remain limited and there's not an opportunity to warp your conceptions of how it should be made. Had I started making music like I wanted to when I was ten, it would've been so pathetically derivative of Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited...eight years and many more music listening experiences later, I don't think the majority of the music I've recorded can really be compared to anyone else's except in how I go about making it.

Yeah, I think this is a good thing, as far as a writer is concerned. The more I write (with an eventual goal of producing short stories and novels), the more impatient and dissatisfied with fiction I become. Once I have figured out the author's technique (which, as in the case of Ulysses, can be fully understood within 100 pages) the narrative is like an orange peel. Gorge yourself on the sweet juice tropes. Discard the bitter potboiler.

Yes, I know. Despite making a mess of that post, I firmly believe that on the level of technique, 100 pages will do the trick.

*hits home*