From: Grego <grego-AT-gregoland.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:33:35 +0900
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] skill sets



Hobey, I guess I was speaking to a different side of your question  
from what you had aimed at. There are so many reasons why or why not  
to call in assistance or collaborate on parts of the creative  
process, reasons I chew obsessively like cud as I mull possibilities.  
But you were looking more towards what grows from each of our unique  
nutrient mixes.  Maybe the latter question  answers the former.
Nobody does what we do like we do. I get the impression that you,  
like me, let the originality of your work carry the show as much as  
anything else. Comes naturally to a dreamer/tinkerer. For me it's  
folky-trad roots, working up stuff on and for the road, and a focus  
on music, that are the particular sauces my offerings are marinaded  
in. My shop is sometimes a Swiss army knife and sewing needle in a  
hotel room. Materials might be what ever is at hand that's light but  
strong.  Most people don't seem to miss technical virtuosity when  
they're seeing something new and wonderful cavorting in front of  
them, or riding a wave of inspiration. A significant amount of stage  
craft is the art of hiding the duct tape.
As far as handy skills, a little experience with wood, paint, fabric,  
gets me by. But I surely need to have better talents to lean on,  
because I'm a hack in the shop. So  I guess my biggest "skill" is  
imagination. The fact that my shop work sometimes progresses way too  
slowly, taking time away from more fruitful ways I could direct my  
energies, and too often yields second rate results, suggests one  
answer to the question of when to call in help.
Provoking thought, Hobey, seems to be one of your skills. It's a good  
one. The way you focus your question frames a nice meditation on how  
to zero in on the integrity of the work while considering  
collaborations that could enrich it.  This leads to one answer to the  
other question, when and how to call in help without compromising  
that integrity, by requiring first a thorough recognition of what  
makes our work OUR work. A firm sense of that should provide the  
confidence to either reach outside or not.
While Malgosia rightly allows for the importance of the message  
element as possibly trumping a need for elegant puppets and nuanced  
performance, Andrew's criticisms of shoddy work are also on the mark.  
My use of Davinci to illustrate an unrealistic goal was certainly a  
bit exaggerated, but there is a strong DIY Pride element in the  
puppetry community, and in my work. To what extent does that pride,  
and fear of loosing the personal touch, create a barrier that limits  
the outcome?  We all admire technical excellence, and this discussion  
lends perspective to my dreams of when and how to call on people with  
different, complimentary skill sets from my own. While happy with  
what I have, I can't help but wonder what my bird would look like if  
a team of specialists worked on it with the same skills and budget  
that were used to create Yoda.
While I'm waiting for that call from Lucas, though, I'd probably  
better stop obsessing about these issues, and get back to sharpening  
my pocket knife.

  -G

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