[Jewelry making - Article 00732] - Re: [Orchid] The End of The Hand Carver

[Andrew Werby]

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Andrew,

>     I have one comment that I truely think you are wrong about. 

    Just one? 

>>    After all, if there's less penalty for making a "mistake" (one can
>>    simply hit control-Z instead of throwing the thing in the scrap
>>    pile) then it's easier to be experimental, don't you think? 

>     Making mistakes is what makes us better at the things we do.
>     Whether it is in business, socially, artistically...it is our
>     mistakes that gives us a education. We learn from our mistakes and
>     occasionally we learn to become more innovative because of
>     mistakes. By not making a mistake and just hitting control-z may be
>     easier, but easier isn't always better. 

    I don't disagree with the basic premise that "mistakes" can lead one
    in new, unexpected, and exciting directions. But as any jeweler can
    testify, there are mistakes that just waste time and material. The
    beauty of a computer-mediated design process is that at worst, you're
    only wasting time - the pixels are recycled without loss. You're
    allowed to make all the mistakes you want, and can back out at any
    time if you decide you don't like the result. I've known artists
    (fellow art students) who made great sketches on newsprint, but froze
    up when confronted with a big sheet of expensive rag paper - they
    were afraid to mess it up. Think of the computer as an infinite
    supply of newsprint - you can save whatever looks good, and crumple
    up the rest. 

>     "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing
>     which ones to keep. " Scott Adams (1957 - ), 'The Dilbert
>     Principle' 

    Exactly; I often end up with a series of variations on a design,
    where I've started down a path, taken it to a certain conclusion,
    saved that, then backed up and taken another fork in the road where
    I've done different things to it which led to different endings -
    it's a good illustration of the "Dilbert Principle" enunciated above. 

>     "Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes." James A.
>     Froude (1818 - 1894) 

    People seem to think that anything that comes out of a computer is
    "perfect" by definition, and that the artist is somehow left out of
    the process. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Every
    technique has its strengths and weaknesses; computer-mediated design
    is no exception. It's quite possible to make something that seems
    great on the screen, but just doesn't work in metal. On the other
    hand, one can do things this way that are nearly impossible with
    traditional techniques. It takes artistic skill to work with the
    process all the way along and decide what works and what doesn't. 

    To take an example from your trade, a few years back people started
    using burs in a flex-shaft to carve waxes with. I'm sure people who
    had learned to do this with files and gravers were aghast. After all,
    the new technique, though faster in removing material, didn't yield
    the fair surfaces or sharp cuts they expected. But somehow, the world
    adjusted - the new technique found its niche, and most people managed
    to incorporate it into their bag of tricks, to be used when
    appropriate and avoided when other tools would work better. Is the
    computer really so different? 

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

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