[MD] The MOQ's First Principle

[Mike Craghead]

Hi Marsha!

Marsha writes: "I don't understand 'balance'.  I earlier asked Platt about a 
statement.  It seems to me that's its a perfect statement of 
balance.  General Peter Pace when asked if the U.S. is winning the 
war in Iraq responded "We're not winning, but we're not losing 
either."   So if by balance you mean this kind of sanity, than I am 
at a loss to understand."

Mike responds: 
Mr. Pace's statement is weaselly spindoctor talk, and is nowhere near what I mean when I say "balance."

A while back, in my rant about art and such 
(archived here: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/2006-August/004955.html), 
you may remember that I talked a lot about balance... I think this might be close to what Platt's and Arlo's meaning.

The balance I shoot for is the balance between DQ and SQ. It is a lot like Yin and Yang (as I understand it), except with DQ and SQ, I think one CAN exist without the other. It's just that whenever the balance is off, the quality drops, and you're knee-deep in a low DQ, low SQ experience. A McDonald's experience. Extra pickles.

Some DQ experience needs only a tiny SQ footstool, but some DQ can only be seen from a perch high on a mountain of SQ: 
The DQ in some music can be appreciated by anybody with ears and a spinal column, while the DQ in other music is invisible to anyone without a lifetime of music education.

Re: "Being an artist"
RMP said something like, "anything done really well is art," so by that definition, everyone (almost) is an artist. I create, I perform, etc., and sometimes I even get paid to do so. So by that definition I'm a "professional artist." But it sure ain't my day job, so by that definition I'm a "hobbyist." But I consider myself a "successful artist," because I strive for quality (balancing SQ and DQ), and I think that I often succeed at achieving it. Of course, I wouldn't mind if I were "successful" by a few other standards (like the ones that can help pay a mortgage), but by the standards (artistic and otherwise) that really matter to me, I'm happy.

Mike


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