When one knows one’s own weaknesses, it is sometimes impressive to look back and see how much could have been done in spite of them. It is impressive to realize that what seemed like little, very little on a daily scale, adds up and grows in value over time. But there is certainly something more. And those who have only experienced it once can understand the astonished artist who, after years of work, looks at them and concludes: “It cannot have been just me who did it”.
There Is a Difference Between the Student…
There is a difference between the student who seeks to solve problems and the one who seeks to expand his arsenal of impressions. The former benefits greatly from being the latter for many years; the latter, on the other hand, will naturally tend to become the former as soon as he feels the discomfort of remaining passive in the face of the contradictions that emerge from his impressions. In any case, the former can never completely stop acting like the latter, because it will always benefit him to increase the body of information in which he can look for answers. His eagerness is certainly fraught with additional importance and responsibility, but the fact is that, depending on the answers, it is useless to seek them without first having gone through a long and patient preparation.
All Artistic Motivations Are Fleeting…
All artistic motivations are fleeting, except those that stem from the true recognition of the value of experience and the nobility of striving to represent it in a work that will remain when time consumes them. To be an artist, in short, is to have art as something that justifies a lifetime’s effort. This, it is true, usually only happens to those who, deeply affected, strip away their vanity to recognize in someone else the model of what they want to be: in a burst of humility, they turn gratitude into motivation.
Almost Always, Not Much Is Needed…
Almost always, not much is needed for a big decision. But it is necessary to make it and stick to it; it is necessary to honor it. The greatest effort, therefore, is subsequent, and involves converting a state of mind into practice, transmuting an impression into value. This cannot be done without an effective inner change: it is then easy to see that the great decision transforms, and is great because of the lasting effect that follows it and does not allow itself to be corrupted.