ESSE on 20%

If we take the culmination of the creative development of the artist for conditional 100%, then we can say that 80% he reaches on average after 10-20 years of creative work. There are exceptions, but they happen to people super-advanced, and they are not many. Of course, there are no exact criteria, mostly these percentages are determined intuitively, as well as everything else in our artistic life.

So, having reached these 80%, most artists stop there. Those who manage to "get" the remaining 20%, become "milestones" of varying magnitude in the history of art. This is about these conditional 20 percent and we will talk about.

I hasten to emphasize that I will simply try to summarize my personal experience of trying to enter these remaining percentages, understanding that each path is deeply individual. I am not trying to elevate myself above the reader and my intentions are initially devoid of mentoring ambitions.  Something like a missionary who is in a hurry to share with others what he himself has recently realized.

So why do I think most people fail to reach 100% of their creative potential? It's not because of a lack of talent, as you might think. First of all, 80% of them are already there, so it's not a lack of talent. Secondly, talent is a flow, and we manage it ourselves, directing it either in depth or on the plane, where it spreads into a puddle, which eventually turns into a swamp. I think that the stoppage of development happens because of laziness and excessive complacency, called pride by Christians and false ego by Eastern religions. When I say laziness, I mean laziness of the soul. A person can be very active and active, but "external" activity cannot replace the suffering, searching soul. Sometimes we develop such "external" activity without finding the strength for the real work of the soul that reveals and develops the creator. At the same time, of course, we come up with hundreds of excuses: say, here is an order, as soon as I make it, I will start.  Or something like that.

Again, that conditional 80% is enough to remain a professional and earn a living.  After all, 80% is mastery, the ability to convey volume, light, color, space.  It is confidence in your abilities, it is hundreds of fans and successful exhibitions, and many other things that every professional knows. And to start an unpredictably long way to the reserved and difficult to achieve 20 percent, you need to shake off years of confidence and honestly admit to yourself how little you can. This feeling must be sharp, deep and sincere.  In addition, it is necessary on an internal level to give up the dependence on the evaluation of your work by the current market conditions. It is impossible to turn off your head, so the reaction of society will still influence your emotions - there is nothing you can do about it. But it is important to change your personal internal criteria for evaluating your labor, changing the term "success" to compliance with your ideals, according to the principle - "do what you have to do, and be what you will be". There should be some inner realization that there is your own unique path in art, and not as a challenge to others. As a consequence, our professional subconscious urge to compete, to compete with our peers, will begin to die out. Simply, because of the realization of our individuality. (For example, the buffalo is not a rival to the eagle, they have different habitats).

The absence of creative jealousy makes it possible to kindly celebrate the achievements of colleagues without rushing after them. Probably, a deep inner understanding of "his way" will greatly weaken the desire to go to exhibitions of contemporaries. By the way, Vrubel, according to the memories of K. Korovin, was never interested in the works of colleagues. I think, for the reason described above.

That is, there must inevitably be a change of attitude to the creative process, on the principle that the process is more important than the result, or, as the wise say: independence from the results of labor. That is, the creative process must be absolutely selfless, even irrational. As soon as we bind or condition it with "earthly" tasks, it loses its purity. This is not only my thoughts - all Eastern religions emphasize this statement.

The almost inevitable consequence of this "withdrawal into oneself" is a weakening of ties with the outside world, which gives materially expressed success. One must be prepared for this on a deep inner level and realize that the demand for an artist, in addition to the obvious advantages, carries with it an automatic desire to multiply this success in the way that has been worked out, rather than to develop, learning about oneself. That is why it is difficult to start the process described above in youth - the time of passions and ambitions. 

An unusual combination of belief in one's own individuality, and an inner critical, even pejorative attitude to one's work, despite the achieved mastery, is, I think, the condition for starting the process of realizing and entering those 20%.  And philosophical acceptance of the principle - "everything will happen in time or a little later" - characterizes your readiness to follow this path.