Self appraisal is pretty difficult, pretty challenging. Look at the last ten decisions you made at work, or the last ten conversations that you had with your children (or your parents) or your wallpaper choices and consider what and when you did well, what you could have done better and what you really screwed up on.
Hard enough to be honest with yourself - how about sharing it with others? How about looking at twenty years of your working life and ranking everything you've done, in order of merit. Then writing a list and putting it on the canteen notice board.
With art there is a further complication. As an artist, particularly the sort of artist who ploughs their own furrow, how do you know what is good. How do you know this song is a potential Number One. Do you care if it is a potential Number One. Is it going to be lead track on the new album or relegated to a bonus giveaway on Soundcloud. How do you know this painting is even finished (or you should have stopped a while ago). How do you know this poem makes sense. What will they say about it on A Good Read?
If I was an artist I might be happy to list my top ten achievements, the ten paintings, songs, poems, wallpapers I had created that I was most proud if. I might even be happy to say I wasn't really satisfied with this picture or that song. I would be less keen to list my failures.
One man who knows the value of his work is Art Garfunkel and as this blog is mostly about Art in one form or another his appearance here is justified. (Look out for op-ed pieces about Art Blakey and Art Malik).
You have to understand this: Art has reviewed the 134 songs he released as a solo artist between 1973 and 2007. He has rated them all. He has put them in order. Not the ten best love songs and the top ten songs about animals, but all 134 songs ranked. So, Good Luck Charm is one place ahead of Saturday Suit; The Break-up is better than Let's Fall in Love; rabbits come out ahead of frogs and camels. There are no ties - he thought hard an decided King of Tonga was actually worse than Up in the World. And Take Me Away is awful. I listened to it for research purposes and it fully deserves its place at 134.
This next bit is from ArtGarfunkel.com. It is copyright artgarfunkel.com and is quoted here for review purposes. It is in itself a work of art. Over now to www.artgarfunkel.com
Below is a
list complied by Art Garfunkel of his entire body of work as a solo artist from
1973 - 2007. These songs have been ranked by Art in order of quality of his
vocal performance and overall quality of the song.
134. Take Me
Away
133. you’re
a Wonderful One
132. This Is
the Moment
131. Beyond
the Tears
130. Herod
129. And I
Know
128. Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life
127. The
Song of the Camels
126. Love Is
the Only Chain
125. The
Frog
124. Hang On
In
123.
Marionette
122. Turn,
Don’t Turn Away
121. If Love
Takes You Away
120. How Did
You Know
119. Mary
Was an Only Child
118. Daydream
117. Another
Lullaby
116. I Will
115. Another
Only One
114.
Feuilles-Oh/Do Spacemen…
113. I Shall
Sing
112. It’s
All in the Game
111. We’ll
Never Say Goodbye
110. Paper
Chase
109. Morning
Has Broken
108.
Crossing Lines
107. King of
Tonga
106. Up in
the World
105. She
Moved Through the Fair
104. As Long
as the Moon Can Shine
103.
Wishbone
102. So Much
in Love
101. The
Friendly Beasts
100. I
Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
99. Can’t
Turn My Heart Away
98. Baby
Mine
97. Every
Now and Then
96.
Sometimes When I’m Dreaming
95. Looking
for the Right One
94. The
French Waltz
93. Life Is
But a Dream
92. The
Romance
91. Miss You
Nights
90. Words
from An Old Spanish Carol
89.
Goodnight My Love
88. Quiet
Nights of Quiet Stars
87. Someone
to Watch Over Me
86.
Fingerpaint Me
85.
Incredible Phat
84. Just
Over the Brooklyn Bridge
83. Saturday
Suit
82. Good
luck Charm
81. Mr.
Shuck n’ Jive
80. Slow
Breakup
79. Let’s
Fall in Love
78. The
Breakup
77. When
Someone Doesn’t Want You
76. The
Annunciation
75. Secret
O’ Life
74. In Cars
73. Wooden
Planes
72. Oh How
Happy
71. Down in
the Willow Garden
70. Old Man
69. What I
Love About Rain
68. In a
Little While (I’ll Be On My Way)
67. Just a
Simple Little Tune
66. The Same
Old Tears on a New Background
65. You
Stepped Out of a Dream
64. Why
Worry
63. Easy
Living
62. Water of
March
61. Grateful
60. That’s
All I’ve Got to Say
59. The
Creatures of the Field
58. O Come
All Ye Faithful
57. Who’s
Gonna Show Your Pretty Little Feet
56. Young
and Free
55. It Could
Happen to You
54. Finally
Found a Reason
53. The
Lord’s Prayer
52. If I
Loved You
51. The
Things We’ve Handed Down
50. Someone
Else
49. Wild
Geese
48. I’m Glad
There Is You
47. Crying
In My Sleep
46. The
Thread
45. I Wonder
Why
44. Woyaya
43.
Dreamland
42. While
We’re Young
41. Barbara
Allen
40. Lasso
the Moon
39. If I
Ever Say I’m Over You
38.
Travelling Boy
37. Bounce
36. Shine It
One Me
35. Two
Sleepy People
34.
Everything Waits to Be Noticed
33. All My
Love’s Laughter
32.
Breakaway
31. Let It
Be Me
30.
Watermark
29. What’ll
I Do
28. I
Remember You
27. Now I
Lay Me Down to Sleep
26. One Less
Holiday
25. Second
Avenue
24. Rag Doll
23. The Kid
22. Sail On
a Rainbow
21. Some
Enchanted Evening
20. Since I
Don’t Have You
19. So Easy
to Begin
18. Carol of
the Birds
17. The
Promise
16. I’ve
Grown Accustomed to Her Face
15.
Skywriter
14. When a
Man Loves a Woman
13. Disney
Girls
12. My
Little Town
11. I Have a
Love
10. 99 Miles
from LA
9. Crying in
the Rain
8. The
Decree
7. Perfect
Moment
6. Scissors
Cut
5. A Heart
in New York
4. (What a)
Wonderful World
3. All I
Know
2. I Only
Have Eyes for You
1. Bright
Eyes
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