Kate Beaton's Mother's Day comic
I enjoy science--I'm terrible at math--I know that I have to face my fear of it and work on it as best I can. If someone told me I won't be a good scientist without math, I'm not going to QQ--sorry but this is what it seems like.
@qualiall36 Not sure if this is a helpful statement, but I'm a scientist who is absolutely terrible at math. I just keep a calculator nearby at all times :) Granted, I'm a virologist and not an engineer, so your mileage may vary...
@qualiall Oh you're totally set then! Grab a good scientific calculator and you're good for liiiiiiife. Good luck with your goals!
@qualiall It's a good point you make, but it's not quite on the mark. I graduated from art school (and now I'm a programmer - see how well that worked out?) and read it a differently.
Since now millions of us know who Kate Beaton is and nobody knows who the old artist was, we kind of know how that turns out. It's not a disproof of the old artist - she's right: If Kate wants to be a fine artist like her, (presumably painting still lives, portraits, and landscapes in beaux arts or impressionist styles, and exhibiting them in galleries hither and yon), she should have been practicing her painting for years already. The old artist had those very conservative boundaries in mind when she told Kate about her chances as an artist.
Kate and her mother visit because this woman represents the nearest thing to an arts establishment in the relatively remote area they live. Kate is hoping more for validation and a pointer towards some school or opportunity that she can go to to develop what skills she has. The painter more or less stops the conversation dead by drawing a firm line at painting == art, cartooning != art, and why is somebody who isn't considering painting is asking for a critique?
Since now millions of us know who Kate Beaton is and nobody knows who the old artist was, we kind of know how that turns out. It's not a disproof of the old artist - she's right: If Kate wants to be a fine artist like her, (presumably painting still lives, portraits, and landscapes in beaux arts or impressionist styles, and exhibiting them in galleries hither and yon), she should have been practicing her painting for years already. The old artist had those very conservative boundaries in mind when she told Kate about her chances as an artist.
Kate and her mother visit because this woman represents the nearest thing to an arts establishment in the relatively remote area they live. Kate is hoping more for validation and a pointer towards some school or opportunity that she can go to to develop what skills she has. The painter more or less stops the conversation dead by drawing a firm line at painting == art, cartooning != art, and why is somebody who isn't considering painting is asking for a critique?
"When the last of your parents dies, as Christopher Buckley wrote in his memoir, “Losing Mum and Pup,” you are an orphan. But you also lose the true keeper of your memories, your triumphs, your losses. Your mother is a scrapbook for all your enthusiasms. She is the one who validates and the one who shames, and when she’s gone, you are alone in a terrible way."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012...
But planes tickets are expensive so I just Skyped with her instead.