Art Unboxed Edison’s Light Bulb

“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” – Thomas Edison

The famous inventor said this in response to a question. It wasn’t only a good comeback, it was very true. The same is true of those paintings we discard, or hide. It’s true for those where we think, i”f it weren’t for that one stroke there, it would be good.”

The reality is, every discarded painting, every drawing we would not show anyone else, helps us to improve. It’s because of all those images we throw away, that we have something wonderful to show. I was reminded of this recently, with a watercolor that was almost there, yet it taught me something.

In addition to this, as artists we have an added benefit today we once did not have. I took a picture of that watercolor, and reworked it digitally, adding touches, and transforming it into a new work. It’s no longer a watercolor of course, but it is a digital piece of art, and I present it as a digital work.

It’s in a new form, but it is something I feel good about. I’m sure Thomas Edison smiled at every failure, in the glow of the shining light bulb. If you have something that didn’t work, don’t consider it a failure, but a lesson. Also don’t discard it, you may not rework it digitally, but it can become a study for a new work.