What I'm good at

Well, good being a relative term, like it always is. "good, compared to what?" Maybe the problem is in the word, or the comparison. I think we're conditioned to compare, judge, critique and I wonder if that does us more harm than good? It seems to establish a relative value/validity of a person, object or effort instead of taking things on their own merits. But that's a whole 'nuther post.

If you read my little blog much, you can see a recurring pattern of dissatisfaction and frustration with the stuff I make, and the tendency to be looking way outside for answers to the questions I have about processes and methods. That's because as an artist (if we need a label to work with) it's distressing to not have a compositional skill as adept as one would like to get their point, message or idea across. I get stuck on that a lot.

Running up against that wall yet again, I got frustrated with myself, then thought "well this is crazy, beating myself up for my perceived deficiencies, I'd work hard with anyone else to help get them through it and help them recognize you can't possibly be good at everything and that's ok..." I figured if I'd do that for other people and help them build on their strengths, why don't I do that for myself? So, I did.

It began, like many other things, with a list, which I intended to scan and post. Except for the list grew too long for the scanner, mostly due to the "what I'm not good at" column. In the middle of all that pondering, I was working on something for someone else, and the bulb came on, suddenly and brightly: I finally recognized what I'm good at.

I'm not a really proficient artist/craftsman/writer/maker by most any accepted measurement. But I LOVE to make stuff. And I do. And what I'm good at is figuring out how to do things, and then, how to get them done. I'm able to do this by harnessing my obsessive/compulsive drives and using them for good instead of evil.

I may not be able to write and/or illustrate a book, but if you can, I can figure out and show you how to publish it in numerous alternative ways. I may not make the perfectly tight and well crafted videos I see in my head, but if you do, I can get them up on the web, on your ipod, rss and xml to the world. I don't take the worlds greatest photos, but I can show you how to use the power of photoshop and flickr and a dozen other things to get your work out there. Want to do a gallery show? I can put one of those together from nothing, on the cheap, all DIY and it would be a success (if success is measured by doing it and having fun). Podcasting anyone? My content may not be much to talk about (no pun intended) but if yours is, I can help you bring your voice to the world in any number of ways. Want to build a house? I can do that. Want to grow your own food? I can do that too. Saw wood and build warming fires? Uh huh. Want to learn double entry accounting and run your own business? Yep. Make silkscreen tshirts with pithy little quotes? Yep. Lay brick, weld steel, refinish wood floors? Yep, yep, yep....Need your transmission repaired? Go to a mechanic, I can't do EVERYTHING.

What I'm good at: I know how to do things. And if I don't, I'm really good at figuring them out.

I'm pretty proud of that.

I'm a good behind the scenes kinda guy. I was trying to relate this to the arena of art/making. Cause you know, like anything else, the stars are the ones that get noticed, in the spotlight and on the stage. But you know, there's a whole lot of folks that have to be very good at what they do to make that happen. So I think what I'm good at is being one of those folks. I'm a good encourager, teacher, and producer. I'm a wide ranging generalist so there's always something going on that interests me. I count myself lucky in that while I may be frustrated or dissatisfied, I'm rarely ever bored.

So the next time I'm griping about my lack of compositional talent, I'll give equal time to the fact that if I ever develop that to the point I want to, I'll already know how and what to do with it. Cause I'm good at doing stuff.

Oh, and did I say:

I LOVE MAKING STUFF!