Column:
Beginners know best
Published Sept. 3, 2010
I live down the street from Jefferson Junior High School. Occasionally, I take the long way home from campus and end up riding by the school. I typically ride by as the students are being dismissed for the day and nothing exciting ever happens.
The end of the day for Jefferson Junior High looks like any other junior high in America -- just a lot of awkward, pimply teens pouring out of the school as they chew gum and gossip. But something was missing from this scene that I hadn't realized. Queue the lanky and uncoordinated teen make-out session in front of the school.
Right there, on the corner of North Eighth Street and Rogers Street, Chip and Susie Q shared saliva in one of the most ungraceful lip-locks I've ever seen. So you might understand just how poorly executed and downright sloppy this PDA was, picture Barbie and Ken mashing face. Don't forget to include the stiff and angled arms inherent to novice kissers and children's dolls.
Now, I realize these kids were doing their best. And, admittedly, it was kind of darling seeing passion arrest a majority of motor skills. Still, they could stand to learn a few things about slobber control. But who am I to say?
Quite possibly, that might be how they make out. I doubt it, but they might know something I don't. Either way, I looked up making out on wikiHow to learn more. It reminded me that at one time I, too, had no clue as to what I was doing. Trying to imagine kissing a girl was like having a dream about something I'd never experienced before -- just white space where a future memory would reside. But in that space, the possibilities were endless.
It is within this sphere of the unknown where beginners explore the possibilities of what they are doing with fresh ears and eyes. Some of the best ideas come from people who've just picked up a guitar compared to those who've played it for years.
As I write this, a quote finally cements itself in my mind. I first encountered this quote a long time ago when I had the pleasure of joining elementary orchestra. We used the Suzuki Method books to learn how to embarrass ourselves in front of our peers and family. On one of the inset pages was a quote from the late Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen master who spread Zen Buddhism during the '60s, that reminds me of what I saw that day. In a lecture about the beginner and Zen Buddhism, he stated, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
It is in this same way that professionals in all disciplines, whether it be business or fashion design, see things after a while. Modes and patterns begin to form in their work, and although they might know more about their business or craft, they might not take the same unguarded liberties a beginner would.
Who am I to say the kids on the corner were doing anything wrong? Perhaps slobber is something I've never experienced. I believe their explorations are something that seasoned kissers forget to do. This same principal applies to all things.
For this reason, I've been reminding myself in my art studio courses that, as a beginner, I should embrace the unknown and try everything and anything in my work. Not everything will be successful, but at least I explored and perhaps surprised myself.
However, I'll leave the drooling to middle school.