I just had a thought.
Photographers are often rather fond of "critique" (especially of giving it, but there is also massive social pressure to seek it out and accept it with groveling thanks.) They love to get together and go through other people's portfolios and talk about whatever shit they learned about yesterday, whether that be white balance, or artistic intent.
I, uh, I don't seek out feedback in this way. I find it largely useless. I can see the white balance just fine, thanks, and I know the thing is out of focus. I have been doing this for a while. In general, some mook offering suggestions is going to have zero impact on me, I kinda know where I am going and to the extent that I don't, I'm going to have to find my own way.
What is useful is trying to explain a project to someone. By trying to articulate what I am attemping, I force myself to organize and clarify my thoughts.
This would be true whether I was attempting to explain it to Martin Parr or a passed out drunk. In fact, this very blog is as much about explaining my work as it is about anything else, and I don't know on any given day if anyone is reading it, or who. It doesn't matter. My thoughts organize or not the same whether you read 'em or not.
Which leads me to the whacky idea.
If you're struggling with something, why not explain it, out loud, to an empty room? Why not simply imagine an audience, and articulate, with your actual voice, what you're trying to do? It's essentially what I am doing with this stupid blog, but perhaps more convenient, and by speaking out loud potentially more effective? Or effective in different ways, at any rate.
How dare you not care what I think?
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean YOU Ray, I meant alla them other mugs!
DeleteA similar technique is used in software development. The point is to try and articulate the problem you're facing in a way that another (imaginary person, inanimate object) would be able to understand. The traditional object used for this is a rubber ducky, hence "rubber duck debugging".
ReplyDeleteI can't say reliably whether I forgot this, or never knew it, but it makes perfect sense!
DeleteThat explains why almost all software releases are buggy AF.
DeleteI actually do do this all the time. Many years ago I realised that I don't know what I really think until I say it out loud: I'm not one of those people who can think things through internally in words (I suspect we're in the majority), tending more to a flow of mental "feelings". To prevent continually embarrassing myself in public (I've got a fast mouth, and have often cringed hearing what comes out of it) I started to say this inchoate stuff out loud in private, learning in the process how idiotic many of my unformed ideas and opinions were. As a consequence, I've got better at "wordy thinking" over the years, although I still find this tiresome. Writing for public consumption does perform much the same function, and I also maintain a stupid blog.
ReplyDeleteMike
An excellent stupid blog! Everyone should read idiotic-hat.blogspot.com
DeleteI think in words, but, sadly, out loud. I lived alone for long enough to develop the annoying habit of whispering my interior monologue. Thankfully, only when I am functionally alone, but that includes "walking down the street mumbling like a crazy person" and also, sometimes, "with kids who are doing something else, who then want to know why I'm whispering."
It makes writing "easy" in the sense that I've generally got the material well worked out by the time I start typing.
Yes, yes, yes. Helpful idea mate!
ReplyDelete