Oh my goodness, Dan! Thank you so much for including me in today's essay! Has it really been ten years? I guess I've lost track. Working with you is a pleasure, and I'm looking forward to many more years of collaboration. (Also, something similar happened to me at my first job. I guess we all go through it.)
Great article Dan, thanks. As a fellow Beatle lover George Martin is a great example to cite. He handled the lads expertly even though he had paid the dues and obtained the pedigree of a "my way or the highway" approach had he chosen that strategy. A couple thoughts though, artist to artist. It sounds like your mentor didn't ask your permission to edit your article which I would view as an overstep and I think your displeasure would be justified. If it had been agreed upon then it's a different story. Similarly, I agree and believe we create our best, or at least most accessible, art with input from others, and it is certainly most likely to be well greeted, especially in the circles of our choosing, if we're referencing those circles in its development. But that too is a choice, and there is a place for the artists who just want their art to be a pure reflection of themselves and what they feel, think, and stand for. It may be well accepted and it may not, it may be considered good art and it may not, but it will be authentic and personal. Anyway, just some rumminations on a Saturday afternoon.
Thanks Rich, I appreciate the reply! Yeah, Zan was pretty heavy handed with us "kid." He felt pretty strongly about what he felt was his obligation to mentor up an comers and sometimes he'd push us even when we didn't want to be pushed. I learned pretty quickly that I didn't mind being pushed, mostly :)
Yup, works that way in the music world, as your editor pointed out. I write a song, and I’m really happy with it after tweaking it a bunch. I play it for Dan, who does what I (now) lovingly refer to as a machete pass across it. This prunes it down to the essence, and sometimes involves rearranging it a little. Or a lot. I then take it to a song critique circle (a group of musicians who give each other feedback on their songs and/or performances), and the folks in the circle give additional feedback that improves the song. And then, when we go to record it, our producer and recording engineer each may add input. It’s all good! Though at least all these folks are giving me feedback *before* it gets published to the world!
Oh my goodness, Dan! Thank you so much for including me in today's essay! Has it really been ten years? I guess I've lost track. Working with you is a pleasure, and I'm looking forward to many more years of collaboration. (Also, something similar happened to me at my first job. I guess we all go through it.)
Time flies huh!
As an English Lit major myself I found this all very interesting!
Didn't realize you were a fellow EL major! Nice
Great article Dan, thanks. As a fellow Beatle lover George Martin is a great example to cite. He handled the lads expertly even though he had paid the dues and obtained the pedigree of a "my way or the highway" approach had he chosen that strategy. A couple thoughts though, artist to artist. It sounds like your mentor didn't ask your permission to edit your article which I would view as an overstep and I think your displeasure would be justified. If it had been agreed upon then it's a different story. Similarly, I agree and believe we create our best, or at least most accessible, art with input from others, and it is certainly most likely to be well greeted, especially in the circles of our choosing, if we're referencing those circles in its development. But that too is a choice, and there is a place for the artists who just want their art to be a pure reflection of themselves and what they feel, think, and stand for. It may be well accepted and it may not, it may be considered good art and it may not, but it will be authentic and personal. Anyway, just some rumminations on a Saturday afternoon.
Thanks Rich, I appreciate the reply! Yeah, Zan was pretty heavy handed with us "kid." He felt pretty strongly about what he felt was his obligation to mentor up an comers and sometimes he'd push us even when we didn't want to be pushed. I learned pretty quickly that I didn't mind being pushed, mostly :)
Yup, works that way in the music world, as your editor pointed out. I write a song, and I’m really happy with it after tweaking it a bunch. I play it for Dan, who does what I (now) lovingly refer to as a machete pass across it. This prunes it down to the essence, and sometimes involves rearranging it a little. Or a lot. I then take it to a song critique circle (a group of musicians who give each other feedback on their songs and/or performances), and the folks in the circle give additional feedback that improves the song. And then, when we go to record it, our producer and recording engineer each may add input. It’s all good! Though at least all these folks are giving me feedback *before* it gets published to the world!
I love your process! Evidence that art doesn't just fly out of the artists head ready to be consumed!