Just the other day I read an article on The New York Times called ‘In Praise Of Mediocrity’ by Tim Wu, and in the article Tim Wu explains how most people just don’t try to do a hobby for the sake of enjoyment anymore, because we are afraid of being bad at them since we take them too seriously. We place all kinds of expectations on ourselves, and when we don’t live up to them, we give up, never to try again.
Personally, I think it’s true. I’ve had friends who tried drawing, for example, and because they felt that they weren’t good at it, and they gave up completely on it. I think it’s a shame, really. The thing is, you don’t have to be good at something if you are only doing it for enjoyment. No matter how bad you are at it, you shouldn’t take it seriously, because in the end a hobby is something you do for fun in your leisure time.
As you can tell from the picture on the right that is a small sculpture I made of a figure. It’s not the most amazing piece of art I made, and it shows, but you know what? The time I spent working on it was time that I enjoyed, and it even helped me relax my mind. Studies have shown that making art, no matter how mediocre it is, can actually reduce stress.
Have you ever wanted to try drawing, but feel like you aren’t talented enough? Ever wanted to dance, but you think you aren’t fit for it? I’d say forget your mediocrity, and just pick up a pencil, and start drawing, or start dancing just because you feel like it. In the end, you’re not trying to impress anyone, but you’re only doing it for your own enjoyment, to make yourself happy.
Alexis
P.S Below I've posted the links to the articles that inspired me to write this.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/opinion/sunday/in-praise-of-mediocrity.html
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-good-art-benefit-artistic-hobby
Alexis
P.S Below I've posted the links to the articles that inspired me to write this.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/opinion/sunday/in-praise-of-mediocrity.html
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-good-art-benefit-artistic-hobby
Wonderful article!!!!! Thank you so much for making it!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteHey there, sorry for the late reply. I'm still getting used to using blogspot's features, so I didn't notice where the comments awaiting approval were until just recently. Thanks a lot for reading, I appreciate it. :)
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