Quote and Comment, Henri

A work of art is not an end to itself, but the work indicates the course taken and the progress made.  – Robert Henri, from The Art Spirit (1923)

I knew a fellow in college who was a piano major. He practiced six hours a day—three in the morning and three in the evening. I attended his senior recital. As you might guess, it was very good. I went up to him afterward to congratulate him. After we’d chatted for a few minutes He motioned toward the room full of people and said, “they have no idea what it’s taken to get here.”

At the time I didn’t quite get it, it felt like a smug artist’s quip. But now—with a couple of novels finished—I do. We’re all focused on outcomes. The final product is where and when we all weigh in. But the fact is, what makes us who we are is the process of getting there, getting to that final product. Of course the quality of that endpoint matters, we strive toward an imagined aesthetic. However, the process is what grows skill, brings learning, and nourishes the soul.

Rough drafts, failed novels, tangled poems—these are not losses. These are indications of the course taken, and regardless of the outcome, progress has indeed been made.