A very great Spanish poet I know in his early sixties told me once that he has perhaps only thirteen to twenty pieces that he has painstakingly crafted over the course of a few decades as a poet. In his mind, something shallowly-conceived, quickly-written, whimsical or clever is not to be considered "true poetry." For him, it is better to put out something that is extremely deeply a part of him and "far above the average" than to ever dream of releasing something subpar. To be clear, he is someone I respect very much, and I greatly admire his work. I use this only as an example of a collective field of consciousness that leans towards the "masterpiece mindset" of creating. However, the elitist and perfectionist undertones of such an approach runs contrary to my basic view on art.

Throughout my life, I have been most influenced by artists in all fields who have a massive, seemingly endless store of creative work — such that when they pass away, they generally leave a prodigious quantity of works that are unpublished, unfinished, and in varying states of completion. This is often on top of an already impressive quantity of completed works released during their lifetime. It does not bother me that their works are at "different levels" of quality. I enjoy interacting with all of their creations as a way of connecting more fully with the humanness of the one I respect — not only for their art, but for the essence of their being as expressed in the tangible creations they have left behind. "Quality" in art will always be subjective, and it is entirely possible and even quite likely that something proclaimed to be a masterpiece can be viewed to be absolute rubbish by a different set of standards.

For me, the heart of being creative lies in making the act of creating a devotional habit. It becomes something expected, normal, and utterly mundane, as necessary as is breathing. Romanticized notions of inspiration being something only accessible during pinnacles of serendipity where the infinite is consciously accessed seem to me somewhat unproductive. A carpenter does not sit and wait until inspiration strikes to make another table, but trains dutifully in order to be prepared with the necessary skill when such rare moments arise. A farmer does not contemplate for a year in order to complete tasks necessary for the upkeep of their farmland, but acts continually to nurture the land at their disposal. A programmer does not twiddle their thumbs until particularly "inspired" to develop and continually test their code. Why should a poet, painter, musician, or another creative artist believe their craft to be somehow more rarified?

All of life is creative; this is a basic faculty of sentience. No expression of art (or science) is to any degree superior or inferior to another. All mediums of expression represent manners in which one's primal life force may be expressed and gradually developed towards artistic maturity. In creating I find purpose, and I am not bothered if only a minority of the end products are considered to be excellent. I create not for the final product, but for the meditation and personal growth of the creative process. Therefore, my orientation in my own personal work is towards a large quantity of output, not for quantity's sake — but for the sake of the cultivation of skill in a craft such that in the longer term, there is the greatest possible likelihood of being ready to reach into myself and bring forth what is represented by an irresistible urge to make the inner unseen manifest.

I do not attempt to create so-called "masterpieces," at least at this point in my life. I view anything I create and post to blockchain as an entry in my life's journal, a rough sketch and potential jumping-off point for further editing and refinement, a portal into new possibilities previously unconsidered. Anything else smells of overblown vanity and pretentious elitism to me. However, much of this view is likely compensating for a tendency towards perfectionism since a young age that left much of my earliest creative years relatively barren of pieces in anything resembling a finished state. I dread the artistic paralysis that comes with placing unrealistic standards on myself and wish to be in perpetual motion. Therefore, it is perhaps for my own peace of mind, if nothing else, that I do not have overmuch interest in creating "masterpieces," until circumstance somehow persuades me compellingly to grapple with minutiae for agonizingly long periods.

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What are your thoughts about being prolific vs. the idea of creating "masterpieces?"
Comment your perspective below, and thank you for stopping by my blog!
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Sincerely,
Daniel Pendergraft
April 28, 2020
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_{All words and images in this post
are created by me
to be published to the HIVE blockchain.}