Know Thy Self

Dave Unger closes a retrospective on his own career with an observation by musician Joe Jackson. One must understand, are they an artist or an entertainer.

You want to make people happy. You want to be accepted. You think your best-selling work must be your best- the one where you got it right- and you feel obligated to give people more of the same. You enjoy applause as an end in itself, and the more applause there is, the better job you feel you've done.

The face you present to the world isn't necessarily you. It may well be an act, a routine, a shtick. You are likely to e a conservative or traditionalist, more likely to take the easy and proven route, and you don't want to change the world. You just want to enjoy yourself and make a few quid along the way. And if you bring enjoyment to others too, why then, what could be better?

Your weak point: Paranoia. You may become a superstar, but still lack self-esteem. This is because your guiding lights-applause, box office recipts, good press-are all outside yourself, and ultimately out of your control.

You are interested in the pursuit of truth, beauty, and new insights and connections. you want to be an individual, rather than run with the pack. You ask questions and don't necessarily accept the answers you get. You don't consider your best-selling work to be your best, especially since you're always striving for something better. What you do is not an act. It's YOU. And you don't want people just to have fun, but to join you in thinking, feeling and exploring. Your ultimate goal may even be almost religious: not simple pleasure but transcendence.

Your weak point: Self-indulgence. That is, a tendency to think that every lame or trivial idea that comes into your head is important, just because the muse brought it with all the good ones. Remember that an artist needs an audience too, and a ruthless internal editor to make sure that your work is as good, as focused, and as accessible as it can be- on its own terms.

Dave has many more insightful observations drawn from his life's research resolving around the language Self, a derivative of Smalltalk and a progenitor of Javascript.

See Self: The Movie