Author: James Chiang

Flipping Defaults

Time and its symbol, the relentlessly ticking clock. Man seems completely stuck in time, always thinking about it, rushing against it, frightened of not having enough of it. Is thinking about time perhaps the worst “default” thinking we have burdened ourselves with?


“The discipline of countering our reflex for self-righteousness is a triumph of existential maturity — one increasingly rare in a culture where most people would rather armor themselves with judgment than tremble with uncertainty, would rather be right than understand.” 
— Maria Popova

What are defaults? By definition it means either :

(1) a failure to fulfill an obligation

or

(2) a preselected option adopted by a machine or mechanism

In both cases, it hints at a setback or failure on some level, whether it be of analysis, decision or action. In other words, “to have missed the mark” which is, interestingly enough, the very original definition of the word “sin.” We don’t think much of this word because we assume, due to our use of modern language as associated with mechanical things like machines and computers, that to default implies going back to neutral, a start over from scratch so to speak. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. In actuality, to go back to a default state really means to go back to some set of instructions that has already been pre-formed and pre-dated. This is all fine and dandy when you’ve programmed your tv settings all wrong and want to return to factory settings, but when pertaining to life’s myriad of challenges, it can be both inappropriate and even damaging. What do I mean by that? Simply this: When you go back to default, you are no longer properly thinking and adapting to the situation or problem at hand — which is always new, since all problems are novel by nature; instead, your going backwards to preset ideas and formulas is bound for failure. To add to this misfortune, most of our default conditioning is harmful and, like a bad habit, spirals us down towards a viscious circle of self-imposed disaster.

Let’s look at this together and ask yourself: do you default to these states? (andthen maybe you can ponder choosing an alternative position?)

  • frustrated by the outcome of a situation, you begin to blame things or people.
  • you’ve just seen or learned something for the first time and you adopt the vain belief that it’s also new to others.
  • you see work that is better than yours and envy or bitterness enters, instead of wonder or admiration.
  • you meet an idea or problem you don’t understand and you begin to criticize or dismiss it.
  • you’ve discovered something nice— a intellectual realization or even something spiritual — but instead of just enjoying that moment you try to hold on to it (ultimately leading to its loss and disappointment)
  • you’ve got a great idea for your art/animation but instead of going through the proper workflow that enables its becoming, you rush into it.
  • you get feedback regarding your work or person and, without actually listening to what it might mean, reactively defend yourself.
  • you’re working and feeling that you have to do it faster or better than you are.
  • you make a mistake and forget it’s just a mistake, not a condemnation on your abilities or being.
  • you see an old friend/acquintance, you assume he is or should be the same as he was before.
  • you don’t like something, you assume it’s bad, not accounting for preference or possibly, your own lack of knowledge or ability to see.
  • you do or make something nice, and expect immediate appreciation or accolades.
  • you see other people’s good work and attribute it to natural talent or luck (forgeting to realize the effort, patience and persistence involved)
  • you arrive at success but instead of increasing your gratitude you grow your ego.
  • you’ve done something wrong to someone and assume that if you feel bad about it, you don’t need to apologize.
  • you think of something nice to do for someone, but you delay taking the action to do so.
  • in making a decision, you’ve given the rational (left-hemispherical) brain much more weight than you give your intuitive (right-hemispherical) brain.
  • you use mechanical language, rather than human language, to describe excellence. Eg. calling someone a “machine” to glamourize his speed and/or consistency of output.
  • when you’re working and thinking about the ending of the work.
  • you think about the cost of things in strictly numerical terms. Eg. Doing overtime makes you more money but only costs you time rather than the multitude of other “unmeasurable” possible experiences missed, like making a new friend.
  • being unhappy at the moment, turning towards potentially health harming pleasures.
  • constantly seeking first to gain rather than to give.
  • always thinking in time — whether you’re at work or play — you don’t let go of the past or future, so you’re never truly present.


“Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

Space

“Cycle” by MC Escher, a master whose work is an exemplary exploration of space, time and relativity.

What is space?

That’s a question that’s not as easy to answer as one would think. Here are some thoughts about space and what it may mean to our work and to our lives as artists:

  • in drawing or posing are you aware of the relationships between positive and negative space? Oil painters or weavers, for example, are always aware of the relationship between background and foreground (because they have make/incorporate them in their medium).
  • take note of seeing how positive space attracts sharp focus to areas, where as negative space generalizes them.
  • take note of how lines manipulate and divide spaces. When you draw a lot, you sharpen this instinct.
  • are you merely seeing things graphically in two-dimensional space, like in graphic design, or are you incorporating true three dimensional space, being mindful of perspective, form and volume?
  • are you seeing and envisioning movement in 3D space (and not just along a grid of x-y coordinates)?
  • always remember that spacing is timing in animation because it incorporates both time and distance.
  • if you’re struggling with designing your poses, consider using flat or “toon” shade setting. It will simplify your seeing.
  • If you leave no space between action — i.e the silence/absence from action — then the actions won’t read.
  • remember, space can be both real and illusory; your job as an artist is to use it as a tool for expression.
  • do you step back to see the big picture and give space and time for your eyes and mind to see with clarity and not with motivation (i.e. detached from desire or expectations?)
  • tight spaces indicate busyness and confined activity where as open spaces indicate freedom and quietude. Vast spaces feel generous, small spaces feel skimpy and trapped.
  • the change in the size and characteristic of space around an object will alter the impression of the object’s size and characteristic. I.e. you alter the background, you alter foreground also.
  • Is the space in your art inviting or pushing out? Be mindful of the power and importance of composition.
  • the vastness of the presentation of space in your work will express the vastness of your message. eg. placing a small single figure in a large open desert both diminishes the significance of the figure and magnifies the power its environment whereas placing a large image of a figure inside a crammed space does the opposite.
  • if you want more form, think of the space inside of things.
  • if you want more weight, think of the material that sits inside that space inside of things.
  • be mindful of how you view and present the world — are you presenting it as an object or subject? eg. in traditional filmwork, cinematography often takes on a “male-oriented gaze”— women viewed as objects to be looked at, men viewed a subjects we can relate to. How you arrange things in space alters our impression of them — above vs below, flat vs dimensional, isolated or in context.
  • know that it’s all too easy to see the world in a flat way, especially given the prominance and frequency of interpreting the world through technology, which is always through a glass plane.
  • art is all about relationships. Be aware of the happenings between things. Good key poses in animation don’t guarantee good animation, it’s how you handle the frames between them that makes all the difference.
  • life is also all about relationships — you with your art, you with your environment, you with other people. How you see and interact with these things defines the quality of your life.
  • do you have space between your art and your other relationships? I think it’s important that you do.
  • space can serve as silence not just for the eyes but also for the mind. Find more space in your life whenever you can.
  • space and time alone is not painful isolation but a gifted opportunity to honestly observe and truly learn about yourself.
  • since time and space are intimately linked, they’re needed to see the big picture, it’s always good to periodically take a floodlight focus rather than spotlight focus.
  • sometimes the silence of open space allows small detailed spaces to shine.
  • notice how nature allows for lots of time and space between things and actions.
  • peace, freedom and clarity can only happen when there is space in the mind, when the mind is silent and not pre-occupied with the self and all its desires and fears.
  • it may not always be good to think of space as something that seperates objects. Try, perhaps, to think of space as something that connects things rather than separates them.

“Space and silence are necessary to go beyond the limitations of consciousness.” — J. Krishnamurti”