100 Brushstroke Headshots (Part 3)

I'm starting to get more into the groove of doing these and as a result I'm much happier with the result. Having taken the time to slow down and consider my brushstrokes is giving way to being more intuitive. The problem I see though with giving into intuition is that it relies on what you already know, so in what way can that be called a study?

Don't get me wrong, me being happier and more confident is not nothing. It's a rare comodity I and other artists SHOULD indulge in more and if it results in a better product for the commissioner, it's a situation in which everyone wins. BUT, I'm not learning anything and not improving and I still feel there's more I can draw out of this study of edges by slowing down and thinking hard about what I'm doing with each stroke.

A question occurs in my mind though as I'm writing this April 12, 2023: Can I learn better through intuition that gives me the full effect of my style in the end result, AND allows me to do more faster, learning through the *pots analogy in "Art and Fear" or am I better off still slowing down and working hard through study and struggling for each stroke?

I'm thinking my next batch I'm going to go off of intuition and let the slip continue even further into my intuitive sense for this craft.

Pots analogy- The pots analogy was an analogy produced in the book art and fear, and presents the situation where students were separated into two groups. Group A was tasked with making as many pots as possible, whereas group B was tasked with making one but it had to be perfect. Intuitively you'd think group B would come up with better pots, but it turns out group B turned out much better results. We can speculate why. No limits allowed them to play in the ways they wanted to. Law of averages. Make 50 and at least one of them will have to be great. In this way, the pots analogy makes an effort to convince the reader that, at least in terms of art, doing more art will result in you producing better results more often than slowing down will.

There are a few problems with this analogy I think at least in so far as they apply to me:
- Being in a pottery class already implies a certain degree of proficiency.
- I'm not ONLY interested in coming up with great products.
- I also don't get to write off my "duds" as muligans that still will meaningfully contribute to my overall body of work.

HOWEVER, I can't really argue with the results. Intuition is better for me and for the commissioner. But I'm rambling back and forth with myself. Enjoy this new batch! And thank you for your continued support!