Monday, February 28, 2011

Blahg Rules


These rules inspire this blog. As a painter in a solitary studio practice these rules help reassure me when doubts come to haunt. I appreciate their clarity and reason, just firm enough to be called “Rules”. While formulating a theme to help mold this misshapen mess of a blog with, I remembered these rules. Particularly Come or go to everything and Look at movies carefully and often because that is what I spend a lot of my non-studio time in New York doing. The beauty of living here are the cultural options, but I sometimes feel that my experiences come in and go out, leaving nourishment behind of course but also leaving a large portion to waste. This blog is my way of marinating my experiences…in the hope that I will extract from them even more flavor.

10 Rules for Students and Teachers from John Cage

Rule 1
Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while.
Rule 2
(General Duties as a Student)
Pull everything out of your teacher.
Pull everything out of your fellow students.
Rule 3
(General Duties as a Teacher)
Pull everything out of your students.
Rule 4
Consider everything an experiment.
Rule 5
Be Self Disciplined.
This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them.
To be disciplined is to follow in a good way.
To be self disciplined is to follow in a better way.
Rule 6
Follow the leader. Nothing is a mistake.
There is no win and no fail. There is only make.
Rule 7
The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something.
It is the people who do all the work all the time
who eventually catch onto things.
You can fool the fans, but not the players.
Rule 8
Do not try to create and analyze at the same time.
They are different processes.
Rule 9
Be happy whenever you can manage it.
Enjoy yourself. It is lighter than you think.
Rule 10
We are breaking all the rules, even our own rules and how do we do that?
By leaving plenty of room for “x” qualities.
Helpful Hints:
Always be around.
Come or go to everything.
Always go to classes.
Read everything you can get your hands on.
Look at movies carefully and often.
Save everything. It may come in handy later.