Hobby vs Career and Attitude

   Nobody from the first week showed up the second week, for Animation Workshop, is the thing, which is just absolutely bizarre... nobody ever shows up anyway, but those who did show up, it was a totally different cast of characters... did I seriously scare off the first week's crop so badly, with the thought that maybe I would be teaching next time, that they all steered clear...? or...?

   I attempted in a somewhat vague manner to track down the workshop lab during lunch hours, trudging along my laptop and everything there but finding nothing, so, I don't know what's up with that either.

   A few days ago (last week by now) plushie artisan Channing Winget (an alumnus here, having her BFA art show final showcase only last semester,) had this to say on (one of) her tumblr(s)! To click through and to read, please! The tl;dr of that is... oh, for pete's sake, I'm not going to give it to you, I mean, the link's right there...!

   Picking up from that, now that you've totally read it, right?...

   "Not having time" just being code for, "it's not a priority," that's striking, not just from the perspective of a family historian where "I'm too busy!" is an excuse heard far too frequently for not tracking down any ancestors, but also from a perspective of, frig, I really am busy, practicing art, why would I have time for that when I've got so many other things I need more practice on, such as piano and sociality and writing? I can take comfort in the notion that not much practice is required to pick up skills, and sleeping on things is good for you and refreshes you and hones you in that skill in the meantime, and aw heck, I've been linking to TEDTalks lately, here's one here.

   But I've got art homework, gosh darn it, and if that's not a good enough excuse for practice, I don't know what is. Sort of an, extrinsic motivator, to get it done in the first place, and though there's usually problems when extrinsic motivation is the only kind there, of course there's plenty of intrinsic motivation. It's just saying, gosh, I really want to right, but I'm undermotivated, and so setting a timer for yourself and forcing yourself to slog through the brunt work of writing. There's nothing wrong with that. You're motivating yourself, to be motivated. And, hey, if that's what works for you... it, works for you.

   Brian Astle, the guy she mentions as an example of prime dedication and craftsmanship, is totally one of the co-teachers of the meatspace segments of my drawing course this semester, which I think to be not just radical, but totally so. I haven't been in class since reading that post for the first time, though, so this whole time all those four classes so far I had no idea of the history or anything of how he got to be where he currently is or how good he is at what he does. Sure makes you see folks in a different light, does it not?