Reading 3

Out of the two, I found John Cage’s list of Rules and Hints to convey the most helpful things to consider. The thing that struck me first was the word “hint” in the title. I liked how he used that particular word because it’s less didactic, as not all rules apply to everyone equally. I like his emphasis on constant hard work and daily discipline, but disagree on his ‘rule’ of following a leader. Having role models and influences is good and a natural thing to do, but I believe that eventually, we all have to be our own leaders.

Mau’s manifesto was fun to read; he has this laid back, relaxed, and flexible attitude towards the process of making art. Some of his statements made me laugh though, just because it sounded funny and pretentious, like “don’t be cool.” I understand his point though, and I agree, but it just sounded funny. I disagree with his statement on software because I don’t think his logic was sufficient enough to back it up; I think it may be a little risky to be relying only on technology as a mechanical tool in hopes that it will somehow pull your work up, but to work with it as part of your creative process is another thing. His logic of “don’t use it because everyone has it” is faulty; everyone has a brain, but it’d be dangerous not to use it. =D