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I've once watched a group of sculptors argue about the merits of various drills for a whole evening. So yes, artists also obsess over their tools just like we d

by bergie 14y ago

I've once watched a group of sculptors argue about the merits of various drills for a whole evening. So yes, artists also obsess over their tools just like we do over ours.

koglerjs 14y ago
well, that's the fun of specifics, innit?
dinkumthinkum 14y ago
Well, the poster said a "good artist" told him that. Even so, perhaps your group were good artists but misguided on just this one issue. Another anecdote, I saw a thing on ice sculptors; there were two really amazing artists and they were arguing about which one used better tools. One artist used an angle grinder exclusively for almost everything and the other used hand chisels exclusively for detail. It doesn't seem like the tool matters that much as long as it is fits a certain percentage of needs.
- bergie 14y ago
  I don't think these were thinking that a particular tool is necessary for creating good art, either. It is more about the fact that any craftsman becomes quite attached to their particular tools. This is the root cause of the endless Vi vs. Emacs debates as well.
  - paddymcdonald 14y ago
    I have a hammer that I absolutely love, I never need to use another tool for anything
  - rufwork 14y ago
    Fair, though the question is less, "Do we need good tools?" than "What makes a great tool?" VIm and Emacs both make great tools. But nobody comes to VIm knowing how to use it intuitively. Its features make the investment worthwhile. Same with Sublime Text 2. There are features that instantly save time (the tiny thumbnail of your entire file makes traversal a breeze for me) and others than take a while to get used to (ctrl-P). The question shouldn't be, "Should I waste time looking at ANY tools?" especially in the ironic context of, "I've used two decades of my life learning VIm and now it ROCKS." It's, "What does this tool have that makes it worth using?" That answer for me so far is speed, flexibility, and features, like the two above. I'd hoped to see more on those topics here. When I want to use VIm, I do. When I want to use JEdit, I do. As the previous fellow replying says, you don't simply use hammers. Figure out where this tool -- which is a very good one -- fits. Its best feature might be its untimed trial period. Give it a shot.

by bergie 14y ago

I've once watched a group of sculptors argue about the merits of various drills for a whole evening. So yes, artists also obsess over their tools just like we do over ours.

koglerjs 14y ago

well, that's the fun of specifics, innit?

dinkumthinkum 14y ago

Well, the poster said a "good artist" told him that. Even so, perhaps your group were good artists but misguided on just this one issue. Another anecdote, I saw a thing on ice sculptors; there were two really amazing artists and they were arguing about which one used better tools. One artist used an angle grinder exclusively for almost everything and the other used hand chisels exclusively for detail. It doesn't seem like the tool matters that much as long as it is fits a certain percentage of needs.

bergie 14y ago
I don't think these were thinking that a particular tool is necessary for creating good art, either. It is more about the fact that any craftsman becomes quite attached to their particular tools. This is the root cause of the endless Vi vs. Emacs debates as well.
- paddymcdonald 14y ago
  I have a hammer that I absolutely love, I never need to use another tool for anything
- rufwork 14y ago
  Fair, though the question is less, "Do we need good tools?" than "What makes a great tool?" VIm and Emacs both make great tools. But nobody comes to VIm knowing how to use it intuitively. Its features make the investment worthwhile. Same with Sublime Text 2. There are features that instantly save time (the tiny thumbnail of your entire file makes traversal a breeze for me) and others than take a while to get used to (ctrl-P). The question shouldn't be, "Should I waste time looking at ANY tools?" especially in the ironic context of, "I've used two decades of my life learning VIm and now it ROCKS." It's, "What does this tool have that makes it worth using?" That answer for me so far is speed, flexibility, and features, like the two above. I'd hoped to see more on those topics here. When I want to use VIm, I do. When I want to use JEdit, I do. As the previous fellow replying says, you don't simply use hammers. Figure out where this tool -- which is a very good one -- fits. Its best feature might be its untimed trial period. Give it a shot.