I suppose some of the questions you're asking could be paraphrased as "Why do talented people not always live up to their full potential?"
My answer would be: Distractions. Money and fame are of course some of the prime distractors for almost anyone. I went to college, and I had the opportunity to stay 'in academia' and do interesting research that might have made a difference, while at the same time developing my skills and talents, maybe even resulting in something meaningful and lasting in my field. In stead, I choose to work in private enterprise. Many things I do are not meaningful to anyone other than our customers and my employers. I put out what the customers and employers want, and that's where I stop. Nine out of ten times, it's far short of greatness. My employers do not expect greatness beyond functional, they just want enough functionality to make things commercially viable and to meet the customer and business objectives.
And why do I do this good to mediocre work, in stead of exceling at everything? So I can make money and afford the lifestyle I desire! So I am not a starving academic. So I can afford the passtimes I want, including this hobby. I bet many artists settle in similar ways.
Many people that are truly great are driven, they go to extremes to achieve that greatness. Often times, they go to extremes in their field and outside of their field. This is one of the reasons, IMO, why so many truly great people are anywhere from a bit excentric and obsessive to unstable and self-destructive. Along those lines, seeing as to how this a hobby that lends itself perfectly to those characteristics, I would not be surprised if at least some great artists are in to this very hobby. Maybe this is where some of that 'search for excellence' that cannot come out in the everyday work environment comes out?
Alright, time to get off the soapbox now...
My answer would be: Distractions. Money and fame are of course some of the prime distractors for almost anyone. I went to college, and I had the opportunity to stay 'in academia' and do interesting research that might have made a difference, while at the same time developing my skills and talents, maybe even resulting in something meaningful and lasting in my field. In stead, I choose to work in private enterprise. Many things I do are not meaningful to anyone other than our customers and my employers. I put out what the customers and employers want, and that's where I stop. Nine out of ten times, it's far short of greatness. My employers do not expect greatness beyond functional, they just want enough functionality to make things commercially viable and to meet the customer and business objectives.
And why do I do this good to mediocre work, in stead of exceling at everything? So I can make money and afford the lifestyle I desire! So I am not a starving academic. So I can afford the passtimes I want, including this hobby. I bet many artists settle in similar ways.
Many people that are truly great are driven, they go to extremes to achieve that greatness. Often times, they go to extremes in their field and outside of their field. This is one of the reasons, IMO, why so many truly great people are anywhere from a bit excentric and obsessive to unstable and self-destructive. Along those lines, seeing as to how this a hobby that lends itself perfectly to those characteristics, I would not be surprised if at least some great artists are in to this very hobby. Maybe this is where some of that 'search for excellence' that cannot come out in the everyday work environment comes out?
Alright, time to get off the soapbox now...