On the other hand, here’s a contrary view complaining about how creative pursuits have become all about collaboration rather than the solitary genius:
It’s behind a paywall but here are the key bits:
Without the cult of genius, no one is shining
Relatability has become more prized in creative circles than skill or talent — to all of our loss
The idea of the individual creative genius is increasingly unfashionable and perhaps even redundant.
Genius has long been under suspicion in academic circles as an irredeemably elitist notion but it remained the case that the important cultural forms of the 20th century — cinema, novels, the theatre — tended to elevate the talent of one individual: the playwright, the novelist, the auteur director. The characteristic art forms of our own age — prestige TV such as Succession but also video games — are collaborative, requiring teams of people toiling in collective anonymity. Even in pop we have learnt to accept that the star is merely the glamorous musical representative for a back office full of songwriters, producers, choreographers and executives.
…
The prevalent idea in the 21st century is not that nobody is a genius but that everybody is — at least potentially. The most widely distributed advice about the writing of novels is the extremely erroneous idea that everybody has one inside them somewhere. That way of thinking is incompatible with the recognition of genius which requires humility, the awed acknowledgment that somebody is unfathomably better at something than you are.
We prefer not to confront this uncomfortable fact, hence the extraordinary cultural premium currently placed on “relatability”. A literary agent recently remarked to me that this has become one of the most sought after qualities in new novels. Not only do readers like to have their experiences reflected back at them but the gap between talented novelist and untalented reader must seem as flatteringly, reassuringly narrow as possible. Once, of course, contemplating the gulf that separated the ordinary person from the genius was part of the thrill.
…
Whatever the truth, the pretence is culturally necessary: don’t worry, I’m not any more special than you. It’s a shame. I miss the terrible glamour of talent, the thrill of people who know they are openly, insouciantly, infuriatingly better than me.
I don’t miss it at all. Those people are usually jerks and I stay away from them.
Those who are better than me, but nice and not promoting themselves I enjoy being around. It takes folks better at all sorts of things to make the world go around well. The jerks, however, I can live without quite happily.
Its certainly possible to live without the jerks in your personal life. But would the world be a better place if they are “cancelled” completely? There’s a lot of great art made by really unpleasant people. Should we never watch Braveheart or Annie Hall or The Pianist ever again? For that matter there’s a lot of great science done by jerks (or worse).
Sure. I could very happily live without watching any of those ever again. Have never felt the least bit tempted to in fact.
The genius article is interesting, but that’s not at all what I’m talking about. I liked that my kids were in the performing arts for the sense of collaboration and teamwork, but I am under no illusions that they are artistic geniuses any more than Junior who is on the Little League team is likely to be a MLB star.
I think the important thing in life is to lift each other up and to help each other to be the best that we can be and to take care of the planet and each other. This is what collaborative teamwork teaches. Competition teaches winners and losers, but we all lose with that attitude.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching a bit of the ACC tournament or March Madness, but my interest in sports has greatly waned as I have gotten older. I really could not care less about the World Series. Didn’t even know it was happening until I heard a headline on the radio today driving to school.
I’m not a judgy person by nature and I find it distasteful in others. That may be why competition doesn’t appeal to me and why ironically I don’t find that article on the lone artistic genius relatable at all.
Not debating or arguing. We’re all entitled to our opinions. I would tell you that kids with sports backgrounds are amongst the most collaborative I’ve ever met as they’ve learned all about being on a team , playing as one unit, struggling /striving to improve together, etc. Setting goals and working towards them, holding each other accountable, building trust, etc.
I have two kids. One a sports enthusiast who is the definition of collaboration and is working for a world leader who values collaboration to its core. The other is a performing artist who is obtaining her BFA in Musical Theater. She has been around and in theater since she was 5. Although she is quite collaborative, she and we have found her peers far less collaborative and far more cut throat. The whole audition process is set up to be winner take all. Sure they come together for shows once cast, but even then there is so much angst about who got what part.
Sure, high level performing arts can be competitive for sure. My D22 has been involved in theater since 4th grade, but has no desire to continue to pursue it in college as a degree because of that vibe.
My point was life is definitely not a competition. No one is going to win. None of us are getting out of here alive and the sooner we learn to help each other along the way the better IMO.
Evolution, and particularly The Selfish Gene, would suggest that the opposite is true, and our lives are the field on which that competition plays out.
trophies, shmophies. Kids learn pretty quick that they mean nothing unless they are earned!
we have a few in our family we value.
DH’s jr. golf league trophy - from the early 80s that was earned by pulling his golf cart behind his bike all summer long to practice. so cute.
dog training class 1st place obedience trophy won not long before the dog bit the mailman
my salutatorian trophy even though i was #1 in my class; but didnt have the prerequisite GPA to be Val
S20’s first place XC JV medal in 9th grade; was promoted to V after that and never won another!
the superlatives for our kids from over the years are probably our favorites. like “most likely to bring a chicken to the theater” or the “Steal Yo Girl” award, or “muscle man” or the “yellow swim shorts that never came off all summer” or “Coach’s Choice” awards. Coach’s choice awards were pretty sweet.
That reminds me of the travel swim meet kid’s Y team went to… it was one of her first “serious” competitions. The hosting team had trophies for 1st overall place in each age group - hand carved canoes made by a local Native American carver. Man… kid fell in love with the thing! I have never seen her in such a competitive mode. She got so upset that she signed up for a couple of her “off” events because she did not know there would be these canoes! Like she did have a chance, I thought! Boy I was so wrong. Kid swam her tail off and won that stupid trophy by the skin of her teeth! That was one of a few meets/games/etc. where she cared about the overall outcome other than beating her own time or something like that.
The greatest thing about swimming and track was the awards were ribbons.
@Sweetgum : I’m happy for you that you experienced so much collaboration in the performing arts, but both of my kids were/are in music and performing arts, and YIKES was it competitive. Try out for a spot in All-State choir or orchestra, or go for the lead in the high school play. Brings out the mean in so many people. And as for collaboration, it was embarrassing how the different voice parts would vie to be the loudest, rather than blending as they were supposed to do.
I had parents want to strangle me because my daughter got the solos in choir, and when she won a statewide talent competition, it came close to a brawl. In our regional choirs, the directors chose only their students to perform.
I used to think that music was a great place for my daughter to make friends, but an older guitarist told me “Musicians are the most jealous people ever.” Yes she did make friends, but the road was treacherous.
My son has had an easier time working in film, because you kind of need people with a variety of skills in order to complete a project. But again, lots of egos, and lots of competition. And when he was little, lots of jealous parents pushing for their sons. Not so much in the professional world, where parents mostly learned to behave themselves, but on the school and local theater level.
My kids were professional child actors and quickly learned that you will not get booked for every job you get sent out on. It was a good lesson, and we considered the audition to be the job itself, an experience, and a chance to try your best.
As for participation trophies, in our area they stopped giving them out after 5 years old, and none of the kids that I know cared. I agree with @FallGirl that we are making too big a deal out of it.
Perhaps it is a preview of how competitive making a living in arts is. A few get the star roles, accolades, and money, while most struggle to get by. “Winner take (almost) all” and “elite or bust” seem to describe arts more than most professions.
I think it depends on the area you are in — NYC or LA, okay, I don’t doubt that — but I know and work with many professional musicians who support themselves very well doing their art and it’s not like that here.
Then again, I also know some professional musicians and actors in the LA area and they are the nicest, no ego people you could meet. They aren’t superstars making zillions of dollars, but you might recognize some of these folks and they do just fine, like the rest of us, own their own homes, travel the world, save for retirement.
But back to kids, my D22 has been doing theater since 4th grade and has always had a very positive, collaborative time. There is tension building up to the show, but it’s not competitive. The casting can be a little bit, but her theater teachers have always tried to find some kind of role for everyone. Maybe that’s the benefit of going to a small school, but it’s been a very positive experience for her for the past 8 years except during lockdown. She’s looking forward to a show in the spring, though.
Oh, and no trophies for it. Sometimes a t-shirt, though.
I’m not saying that professional actors and musicians are horrible people. My kids are among them, and I think they’re pretty great. And I know many others, some even famous, (and I even do their taxes)! Just that competition in the arts is fierce on many levels. And in the school years, it can be awful. So many children that are encouraged to pursue endeavors for which they just don’t have the talent.
Lol at the dog!!
That was one of a few meets/games/etc. where she cared about the overall outcome other than beating her own time or something like that.