What is the importance of experimenting?

[Nshipp]

I am currently taking an inkjet digital printing class where learn and practice the fundamentals of digital printing. Also we were given an assignment that let us experiment a little in the realm of digital printing. My question tonight is how important would you say it is to keep experimenting. Today we are in a time where people experiment less with the actual materials, and everything is more so experimentation in the computer. How can experimentation benefit us as artists? i'd be interested in hearing some feedback.

 

[Light Guru]

IToday we are in a time where people experiment less with the actual materials, and everything is more so experimentation in the computer

I completely disagree. In fact I think there is more experimentation. Computers are just a tool in that experimentation.

 

[Tony S]

If you are printing for yourself then experimenting is an important step to your final results. Calibrating and finding combinations of papers with processing is very important, even more so when you start getting into using some of the more fine art papers. It can be quite expensive to experiment this way, but the results can be very artistic and satisfying. One thing that really does not translate well to the computer monitor is texture, getting it in a print is so much different.

 

[manaheim]

Experimentation is a total and complete waste of time. You should only ever do EXACTLY what you know works.

 

[pixmedic]

are we talking about photography?
i saw the title and assumed we were reminiscing about our wild college days.

 

[ann]

How does one find out what they EXACTLY one wants with out experimenting I am thinking manaheim is exercising a bit of humor (it is sometimes not easy to tell within the "typed word"

 

[pgriz]

I think that manny, if he tried to talk just now, would bite his tongue off. Just a hunch.

As for experimentation, as long as it doesn't blow things up, kill you, or create new unexpected life, it is a way to get a good understanding of how things actually work.

 

[manaheim]

How does one find out what they EXACTLY one wants with out experimenting I am thinking manaheim is exercising a bit of humor (it is sometimes not easy to tell within the "typed word"

I think that manny, if he tried to talk just now, would bite his tongue off. Just a hunch.

pgriz knows me well.

I just thought the question was absolutely ridiculous.

It's like "should I try new things?"

Uh, no... man didn't need fire... or the wheel. Stick with what works.

 

[ann]

that is what i thought, as someone who has lots of experience, testing is important, even with manaheim

 

[manaheim]

that is what i thought, as someone who has lots of experience, testing is important, even with manaheim

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Nothing ever in history has been learned through experimentation such as trial and error. Don't bother to think you may learn something from it, great question for the forum though

 

[pgriz]

Nothing ever in history has been learned through experimentation such as trial and error. Don't bother to think you may learn something from it, great question for the forum though

Of course, the other lesson is that Nobel did NOT invent dynamite. He did, however, pick up the notes of the guy who did. And when he repeated the process, he stopped at the last step on the paper. And became famous. Sometimes, you just gotta know when to stop.