Beautiful rules for immaculate hearts
January 30, 2008 6:10 AM Subscribe
Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules. A truly inspirational set of values that could add everything to the life of anyone in education. What makes this set of rules even better is that they came from the students themselves. But they couldn't have done so without the pioneering work of Sister Mary Corita
Rule 5
BE SELF-DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS
FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND
CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.
Rule 5
BE SELF-DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS
FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND
CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.
If you rule that everything's allowed, you still have made a rule.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:42 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by Wolfdog at 6:42 AM on January 30, 2008
The best art comes from rules (or perhaps better to say, limits). Usually self-imposed.
posted by bonehead at 6:45 AM on January 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 6:45 AM on January 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
To quote Igor Stravinsky: "The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self. And the arbitrariness of the constraint serves only to obtain precision of execution."
posted by LN at 6:55 AM on January 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by LN at 6:55 AM on January 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
Unfortunately, after the enrollment of Malcolm Hobarth (Class of 1997), they had to add Rule 11: DO NOT EAT THE PAINT.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:55 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:55 AM on January 30, 2008
If everything is allowed, this is not a rule. x=<>everything does not set a value to x.
posted by ewkpates at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by ewkpates at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2008
Sure it does, x = infinity. I don't know how to make a sideways 8 so pretend this is one:
posted by Mister_A at 7:06 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by Mister_A at 7:06 AM on January 30, 2008
I'm not sure what reaction I am expected to have to these rules. They aren't well-written, or inspirational, or even very helpful.
posted by amro at 7:11 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by amro at 7:11 AM on January 30, 2008
I think they are all of those things. Well, maybe not inspirational, they seem kind of opposed to the inspirational.
posted by roll truck roll at 7:44 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 7:44 AM on January 30, 2008
hmm, a murky set of new-agey feel-good 'rules' seems to have turned out some terrible examples of art.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:46 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:46 AM on January 30, 2008
I give it one, or maybe two, years before later classes rebel against what they feel is a trite, hackneyed and outdated rules structure. Hey, it's happened before to almost every other human system. Why should an art department at a christian college be any different?
posted by Sam.Burdick at 7:48 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by Sam.Burdick at 7:48 AM on January 30, 2008
Save everything, it might come in handy later
Kids, clutter does not equal artsy. Trust me on this.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:49 AM on January 30, 2008
Kids, clutter does not equal artsy. Trust me on this.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:49 AM on January 30, 2008
Sam.Burdick typed "I give it one, or maybe two, years before later classes rebel against what they feel is a trite, hackneyed and outdated rules structure. Hey, it's happened before to almost every other human system. Why should an art department at a christian college be any different?"
You know that this is a few decades old, right?
posted by roll truck roll at 7:52 AM on January 30, 2008
You know that this is a few decades old, right?
posted by roll truck roll at 7:52 AM on January 30, 2008
I give it one, or maybe two, years before later classes rebel against what they feel is a trite, hackneyed and outdated rules structure.
I don't see any kind of real enforcement mechanism for "pull everything out of your teacher." Unless they're being horrifyingly literal, in which case the authorities should be notified.
Also, from the first link:
There should be new rules next week.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:54 AM on January 30, 2008
I don't see any kind of real enforcement mechanism for "pull everything out of your teacher." Unless they're being horrifyingly literal, in which case the authorities should be notified.
Also, from the first link:
There should be new rules next week.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:54 AM on January 30, 2008
I like these, I can apply them to my life.
posted by hulahulagirl at 8:08 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by hulahulagirl at 8:08 AM on January 30, 2008
x=8 means gives x a value, sorry.
if x has every value then it has no value.
if x=8 then it has a value.
posted by ewkpates at 8:09 AM on January 30, 2008
if x has every value then it has no value.
if x=8 then it has a value.
posted by ewkpates at 8:09 AM on January 30, 2008
If you rule that everything's allowed, you still have made a rule.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:12 AM on January 30, 2008
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:12 AM on January 30, 2008
Interesting, but I still prefer Oblique Strategies. Draw a card from the deck here. Refresh as needed.
posted by maudlin at 8:21 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by maudlin at 8:21 AM on January 30, 2008
I find rule 5 rather disgusting. Self-discipline means a lot more than finding somebody else to follow, "better way" (whatever that means) or not. For example, I know a few smart and/or wise artists who are not particularly self-disciplined, so how is following them going to teach me a quality they don't have themselves? Discipline may come from following others, but self-discipline? I can't understand this one for the life of me, it's just gross.
Rule 7 is great, but the rest of this is wibbly-wobbly crap. I'll take Epictetus over this any day of the week.
Interesting, but I still prefer Oblique Strategies. Draw a card from the deck here. Refresh as needed.
Nice, I guess, but I prefer China Palace. Over there they give me a huge plate of fried rice and an egg roll with every one of these.
posted by vorfeed at 8:28 AM on January 30, 2008
Rule 7 is great, but the rest of this is wibbly-wobbly crap. I'll take Epictetus over this any day of the week.
Interesting, but I still prefer Oblique Strategies. Draw a card from the deck here. Refresh as needed.
Nice, I guess, but I prefer China Palace. Over there they give me a huge plate of fried rice and an egg roll with every one of these.
posted by vorfeed at 8:28 AM on January 30, 2008
This reminds me of my alma mater's motto: I will not make boring art.
The motto comes from a lithograph in which it is hand-written a dozen or so times.
Few of my classmates seemed to appreciate the inherent irony of said lithograph.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:32 AM on January 30, 2008
The motto comes from a lithograph in which it is hand-written a dozen or so times.
Few of my classmates seemed to appreciate the inherent irony of said lithograph.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:32 AM on January 30, 2008
Corita! I always loved seeing the gas tanks she painted.
As someone who's currently struggling with a short-story-in-process, I'm particularly feeling these: "Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail. There's only make." And this one - a huge struggle as a writer: "Don't try to create and analyse at the same time. They're different processes."
Another valuable rule that I'd add to these (especially for you cranky folks): Take what you want; leave the rest.
Nice post. Thanks.
posted by rtha at 8:33 AM on January 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
As someone who's currently struggling with a short-story-in-process, I'm particularly feeling these: "Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail. There's only make." And this one - a huge struggle as a writer: "Don't try to create and analyse at the same time. They're different processes."
Another valuable rule that I'd add to these (especially for you cranky folks): Take what you want; leave the rest.
Nice post. Thanks.
posted by rtha at 8:33 AM on January 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
rtha -
The don't create and analyse rule is incredibly important for artists to learn. Without learning that rule writers will keep writing the same page over and over again, and film students will try to make films inspired by the critical theory they get indoctrinated by, and then make the worst kind of unwatchable crap.
The best art comes out of the act of making it. Sit back and figure out what you made when you're done.
posted by MythMaker at 9:16 AM on January 30, 2008
The don't create and analyse rule is incredibly important for artists to learn. Without learning that rule writers will keep writing the same page over and over again, and film students will try to make films inspired by the critical theory they get indoctrinated by, and then make the worst kind of unwatchable crap.
The best art comes out of the act of making it. Sit back and figure out what you made when you're done.
posted by MythMaker at 9:16 AM on January 30, 2008
WRITING THINGS IN ALL CAPS. SPLIT OVER MULTIPLE
LINES. MAKES THEM HARDER
TO READ, NOT MORE ARTISTIC. OR IS
IT JUST ME?
posted by !Jim at 9:22 AM on January 30, 2008
LINES. MAKES THEM HARDER
TO READ, NOT MORE ARTISTIC. OR IS
IT JUST ME?
posted by !Jim at 9:22 AM on January 30, 2008
GENIUS IS 1 PERCENT INSPIRATION AND
99 PERCENT PERSPIRATION.
(Just don't take that too literally, you performance artists over there in the corner.)
posted by pracowity at 9:42 AM on January 30, 2008
99 PERCENT PERSPIRATION.
(Just don't take that too literally, you performance artists over there in the corner.)
posted by pracowity at 9:42 AM on January 30, 2008
I agree with amro. These are pretty good and unsurprising examples of what students would come up with. After a few years, though, all of these would probably go by the board. I've been involved in the arts as a graphic and web designer, painter, animator, cartoonist, illustrator, jazz and rock musician, and writer of novels, short stories, non-fiction and web content. There is really only one rule in the arts: Keep learning.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 9:43 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 9:43 AM on January 30, 2008
How can so many people have such poor logic...
Not Deciding is only a decision when you pass the opportunity cost point. Otherwise not deciding is not deciding...
Back on topic: These are good rules for everything, not just for art. I think people should apply these rules to "how to be a spouse" and "how to decide a career" for example.
posted by ewkpates at 10:10 AM on January 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Not Deciding is only a decision when you pass the opportunity cost point. Otherwise not deciding is not deciding...
Back on topic: These are good rules for everything, not just for art. I think people should apply these rules to "how to be a spouse" and "how to decide a career" for example.
posted by ewkpates at 10:10 AM on January 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Most of them seem pretty harmless, except for #5, what a confusion that is. If a kid's smart and together enough to know who's smart and who's not, he or she doesn't need to be a follower and is probably already following his intution. And if he's not, this rule's just more fodder for the kid's confirmation biases. So it's a rule that isn't needed by the only kids who might be able to use it correctly :-)
posted by facetious at 10:23 AM on January 30, 2008
posted by facetious at 10:23 AM on January 30, 2008
Pretty goofy stuff.
In my opinion, the only way to make sense of #5 with respect to gaining self discipline, is that following someone else's path means accepting a set of constraints for your own work. And self discipline will then come from working within those limits.
Not Deciding is only a decision when you pass the opportunity cost point. Otherwise not deciding is not deciding...
No. This isn't relative to opportunity cost. When you are presented with a choice, and at that moment you delay making the choice between the given possibilities, then you have decided to not make a decision at that moment. Perhaps this seems trivial, or tautological. I won't argue that point beyond saying that it can be easy to overlook until it's pointed out.
It has the same structure as the preceding quote, "If you rule that everything is allowed, you still have made a rule.". Both are variants of Russel's paradox. These are paradoxes because 'rules' and 'decisions' are self-referential.
posted by BigSky at 11:10 AM on January 30, 2008
In my opinion, the only way to make sense of #5 with respect to gaining self discipline, is that following someone else's path means accepting a set of constraints for your own work. And self discipline will then come from working within those limits.
Not Deciding is only a decision when you pass the opportunity cost point. Otherwise not deciding is not deciding...
No. This isn't relative to opportunity cost. When you are presented with a choice, and at that moment you delay making the choice between the given possibilities, then you have decided to not make a decision at that moment. Perhaps this seems trivial, or tautological. I won't argue that point beyond saying that it can be easy to overlook until it's pointed out.
It has the same structure as the preceding quote, "If you rule that everything is allowed, you still have made a rule.". Both are variants of Russel's paradox. These are paradoxes because 'rules' and 'decisions' are self-referential.
posted by BigSky at 11:10 AM on January 30, 2008
There's another saying, which I've heard in reference to Johann Sebastian Bach, which posits that you need to know what the rules are before you can break them effectively.
In all arts, you need to know what the basic rules of making that art are before you can understand what something new and original looks or sounds like. As a neophyte, the artist emulates people that he or she considers to be tops in their field. You exhibit discipline by working hard to understand the nuances of how those established artists have constructed their works, the techniques and tools they used, the concepts they explored, the issues they examined. Once you understand those things, and you have acquired mastery of the established tools and techniques, that's when you branch out to express your own personal view of the world. Self-discipline therefore means *not* falling back on what has been tried before, but forcing yourself out of your comfort zone and discovering new ideas and new ways to express them.
That's what rule 5 is referring to, although it's badly worded.
posted by LN at 11:36 AM on January 30, 2008
In all arts, you need to know what the basic rules of making that art are before you can understand what something new and original looks or sounds like. As a neophyte, the artist emulates people that he or she considers to be tops in their field. You exhibit discipline by working hard to understand the nuances of how those established artists have constructed their works, the techniques and tools they used, the concepts they explored, the issues they examined. Once you understand those things, and you have acquired mastery of the established tools and techniques, that's when you branch out to express your own personal view of the world. Self-discipline therefore means *not* falling back on what has been tried before, but forcing yourself out of your comfort zone and discovering new ideas and new ways to express them.
That's what rule 5 is referring to, although it's badly worded.
posted by LN at 11:36 AM on January 30, 2008
Simple statements over large areas of life like art, science, religion, love (in general, not your love), work (same exceptions apply), creativity, success and philosophy are stupid, but somehow this sentence is a wise one.
posted by Free word order! at 12:18 PM on January 30, 2008
posted by Free word order! at 12:18 PM on January 30, 2008
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posted by ewkpates at 6:39 AM on January 30, 2008