Dan’s Blog
Dan Hermes writes on a range of topics, including the pursuit of artistic endeavors, living a creative lifestyle, and specific art disciplines. These are his blog entries and excerpts from his books.
The Art of Art
Generalized skills and strategies for creative pursuits.
The Art of Living
Personal development topics like life balance and mental health.
Disciplines
Delving into specific art forms like visual art, music, and writing.
Seven lines from Genius: The Owner’s Manual, and why I wrote them
What is Genius: The Owner’s Manual really about? The shortest answer is that talent is the starting line, not the finish. Everything after that is work, judgment, and nerve. Here are seven lines from the book that get at the heart of it, and what I meant by each.
New Technology = New Art Forms
Technological advances can spur changes in the course of art mediums, technique, concept, and art markets.
Evaluating Ideas
Idea evaluation is a process that assesses the usefulness of a new product of the imagination.
Engaging with a Medium
Every medium presents opportunities for us to engage with it more thoroughly.
Building Skills
Attempting to produce genius-level works without spending many years acquiring skills will result in failure and frustration.
Is a Genius Born or Made?
Are geniuses born or made? This is a key question if you’re trying to do something big in the world.
What is Genius?
Geniuses must not just be original but must also be exemplary. – Immanuel Kant paraphrased
Becoming a Renaissance Person: Part II
Horizontal skills can be brought to bear on many different pursuits and disciplines.
Becoming a Renaissance Person: Part I
Some artists excel in multiple fields, becoming a polymath or Renaissance Person.
The Direction of the World
People don’t typically want to pay money for creativity. They just want a good hamburger, and they’ll pay for that.