Why don't we finish things? An artist's view | Robert Davis | TEDxMelbourne

Robert Davis is an artist exploring why completion (or not) is important as we think it is.
Melbourne-based artist Robert Lee Davis creates sensitive and deeply personal cinematic collaged paintings using old postcards, discarded letters and reclaimable print materials, suspending history in a dreamlike state. Each piece is an immersive recreation of global landscapes and structures that deconstruct memory and experiences to craft imagined worlds that are at once familiar and yet foreign.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@derekhughes8033]

I never finish anyth

[@rizzamaeong]

Derek Hughes haha... that's funny.

[@kusaiki_ck6916]

Ha funny jo

[@gkgk9504]

LOL

[@user-pc3vs3bd4j]

I finish no

[@ashesforbeauty6582]

Lmao

[@WinstonCorneilius]

I have a serious problem with not finishing my art

[@robertleedavis3815]

I often work better if I have a purpose like a deadline for a commission or exhibition.

[@mrericmendez5049]

If I have a deadline, thats literally what it is and I die. And my art goes untouched 😅

[@robertleedavis3815]

it may help having a goal or purpose... like creating it for a gift, or an exhibition,.

[@Hope-vb9ox]

OmarsDad me too

[@youremybiggestfan]

Its just non finito just embrace it

[@richspizzaparty]

I used to think that we don't finish things because we got what we need and often see the final work in our mind. I have since learned that we don't finish things because we lack discipline, artists are especially susceptible.

[@MeiLing19821989]

The Rich Rose Sometimes it is lack of discipline sometimes it is because we got what we came for. Some of us are plate spinners who cycle through our projects. Usually, we eventually pick a ptoject back up a later time and then finish.

[@chrisshergie1030]

Platinum Rich Rose but why do some lack discipline, when by every other standard they are more exceptional, intelligent, and talented? Your first idea ive never thought about until now. This video identified going to different schools was an underlying reason. I went to 7 different elementary schools from K-5th grade. Not looking for an excuse, just reflecting.

[@annafedorova_sf]

One thing that really resonates with me is starting to think of yourself as Professional regarding the art you create (rather than dabbler). My work isn’t in art, but seeing my side/passion projects through this lens helps me adopt strategies to become more deeply involved with them - down to “project managing” to the finish line. Dabbling feels safe and fun. Being a Professional raises the stakes, and helps take your own efforts more seriously. If you want to, of course. When you’re ready.

[@blackbird8837]

BS. Here's the truth. We get to a point where we love our work to its current extent, maybe even be surprised by how much better the work is than we think we are.. and the fear of ruining it by finishing it deters us from doing so. I once talked to a great artist and he asked me if I do doodles. I said I don't. He said that's the problem. If you can only pull something off only in one angle or one particular way you will always be afraid of ruining your work. You need to let go of the mental boundries of perfection and rather see every piece of work as practice and one step on the endless stairway of becoming a great artist.

[@danielgriffin1069]

Well said!

[@fullautomaton5948]

This was more useful than the whole video.

[@gS0yeUE0udz7d]

Facts 💯

[@SadTown99]

I agree… furthermore I think the non existent scale of value we critique our work on, should be completely disregarded. Art is just Art. I don’t believe in good or bad creativity & I certainly don’t believe in only creating for the sake of other people’s enjoyment or opinions.

[@tygorilla.tactics]

Reason for every thing you do

[@wewewewe5952]

i didn't finish the video

[@nnn-qv7fu]

Same here. Savage comment.

[@robertleedavis3815]

No worries!

[@bakh91]

he sounds so fake. He's an actor acting like an artisit, obv a bad actor lol

[@barlitosguy1415]

wewe wewe I was gonna say that lol

[@leejardine_]

fr tho

[@eveningdim7167]

I have a problem with finishing things. So many projects. I got maybe 30 drafts on wordpress, several songs half-written/translated, almost 2 dozen years of art left unfinished. A lot of times I find myself putting effort into the things impossible or difficult for me to do instead of finishing easy tasks that arr nearly done. I just posted a picture of Green Diamond on my deviantart, a simple picture of pen & colored pencils; and I consider that a great accomplishment, considering my record.

[@robertleedavis3815]

AubrentheJack thanks for your comment! Are you exhibiting? Often if I have a exhibit or viewing coming up it helps to motivate me.

[@johnnycryo9638]

Same here . I'm barely finishing my portfolio with over 100 designs from 10 years ago...I understand

[@MsGnor]

Barbara Sher wrote "Refuse to Choose" for people with 'too many interests to pick just one'. If you are super curious and struggle to finish projects, I encourage you to check it out!

[@bRealBlknsexi]

msGvious I'm going to look that up! Thanks!

[@l.w.paradis2108]

This is a thought.

[@nerdyninja9877]

THANK YOU! just searched it up and its super relevant to me

[@RadishTheFool]

That book seems super relevant to me. I put it on my wishlist right away. Thank you!

[@erikanovakova97]

This talk truly touched me, I teared up several times, it was so real. Thank you beautiful human for being so strong for showing yourself in vulnerability.

[@annafedorova_sf]

Your talk is so beautifully insightful. Thank you for sharing your story and addressing this topic. The art work you showed here really spoke to me, it’s so thoughtful in the way it captures a life. What a gift to your partner (and yourself)!

[@rosequartz4102]

This means SO MUCH to me. And I'm from Elkins Park so I have zero issue picturing every facet of your story. I needed to hear this today. I need to hear this tomorrow and every day until your words commit themselves permanently to my soul. Thank you.

[@purplelotusjewelry2648]

Such a brilliant talk about, Why we don't finish things. Living a creative life is essential. This is a very inspiring talk. I also loved how you show the influence of one person, in your case your grandmother can make the biggest difference in ones life. The way we encourage children and see them is so important. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work.

[@robertleedavis3815]

Thank you for your words. My grandmother was a wonderful and genuine soul! She still inspires me to be the best person that I can be!

[@purplelotusjewelry2648]

[@robertleedavis3815]

Thank you for your encouraging words! Yes! Creativity is the way to a better life!

[@1chipchap]

I never finish things or goals. My interests keep changing and it's beyond depressing, I feel like giving up because I feel no purpose to life if I lose interest so quickly in every single Thing . I'm creative but my styles and interest changes so much . I feel psychotic and I don't know what to do .

[@JoeGuapo]

1chipchap how you doing?

[@heytherecaroline.8798]

Omg dude... I feel the same. Right now, i felt and think that i have no purpose or even direction since i have a lots of interest... And i dont even see myself staying for long periods in a career..especially, office settings. I felt really insane like i start questioning myself...i felt depressed even more in realizing somethings... Damn, i just don't feel alive...

[@daisyreyes3450]

Same here🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@nerdyninja9877]

someone recommended Barbara Sher's book Refuse to Choose, and i think it might be helpful to you

[@TwylaG-Artistry]

I couldn’t have watched this at a better time!!! ...not only about unfinished (things) but my art as well. Thank you for the wonderful perspective!

[@lisengel2498]

Thank you very much for sharing your beautifull and strong story of becoming a person of love - and showing the importance of being loved and loving to find your purpose and the courage to live it

[@autreUS4]

The thing is with me I finish everything I do. I have no drafts. Telling myself every time "this will be my breaking moment". Yeah I upload and post art online after I finish and not many people see it, but it’s nice to see my finished projects

[@muiithehappy6148]

this is really wonderful and inspiring I erase one of my unfinished artwork and drew a new one with completely different style and finished it recently. Thanks Robert, greetings from Malaysia.

[@user-dz5wi2iu6j]

Thank You for such an inspiring talk! I've spent several hours suffering from stomach pain but now It is almost over. I listened to you and your story impressed me so much that I started crying. I feel much better. I can relate to your story. Thank You so much for your story! It is a treasure!

[@leaderstribunebyglowy7368]

I am too, having stomach aches, due to anxiety relating to his topic.

[@kodexi2761]

Great video. I've taken up piano, swimming, football, etc... I've only ever really been good at drawing, which I still enjoy occasionally. I've always left things because I've become bored of them, more interested in having more free time to procrastinate... I guess it takes time to find to solidify yourself into your true passion, and experience.

[@Georgiacreative]

Sounds similar to my life. At about 40 I was diagnosed with adhd. Many people with adhd love novelty. Once the novelty wears off we tend not to persist with the activity and boring stuff is reaaallly hard to motivate yourself to do. Loads of people with adhd are also creatives. We're ideas people! We need to find and engage in what we're passionate about to keep us feeling alive and engaged in the world and give us motivation to persist.

[@kmbrpower]

Yeah, so so happy to see you doing your thing Robert. I just wanted to give you a big hug and hear your lovely loud laugh. Hugs from Shanghai. x

[@robertleedavis3815]

Thank you Kimbra for your support and encouragement ! xoxo

[@maoix23]

Hello mr.davis! I was in your class last year! Your talks are so inspiring, please continue inspiring people and being amazing!💕💦

[@unburriedtalents599]

Passion and purpose. Agreed. These are essential to finish. Otherwise, I just have to resolve to finish. It's nice to just do what I care about but I know it can't always be that way. But it is my goal.

[@LuvliexXJazzieXx]

That was so beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes. BRAVOOO!!!

[@LoveActions]

I agree...We finish when we are passionate and on purpose with that particular train of thought...Sometimes we must challenge ourselves to free fears that encumber our Truth from coming out...Thank you for sharing your Truth and enlightening us to the organic process of life

[@MsGnor]

Special beyond words, in all the ways. Thank you RLD xxxxxxxx

[@mangoyacho]

Very inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@philippeg3]

Very inspiring talk, Robert! Now I don't have to feel guilty with some unfinished projects! Thanks for sharing your personal story too, very compelling.

[@robertleedavis3815]

Ha ha! Guilt free living motivates us to act. Thank you Philippe for your support and encouraging words!

[@philippeg3]

Robert Lee Davis Alway happy to help!

[@lOwlEyesl]

What a beautiful message!

[@rdhall6236]

Good job, Robert!!! Love your art!

[@illuna5751]

Such a beautiful message, thank you Robert. 🙏🌈🌿🌻🌠

[@joeykher538]

Thank you..very inspiring.

[@omroop]

You have speak my mind ..andI got relieved from the baggage of my unfinished business,,artworks.👍💖

[@chrisfox4157]

We are all works in progress regardless of temporary setbacks “ keep breathing while continuing to put one step in front of the other, that’s the work, having a goal and a creed is useful but those can change along the way.

[@ccabell4]

Thank you for reaching out and letting me know you were on here! Awesome presentation and lovely painting too. Kids were watching with me and they remember meeting you so many years ago. Big hugs :-)

[@robertleedavis3815]

Wow they must be seniors by now! So happy that you watched as a family!

[@ningli7490]

Hi Robert, so happy to see you and watch your talk. A nice way to start Sunday. Great presentation and touching, inspring stories. :)

[@robertleedavis3815]

Thank you Ning for your words!

[@derpydayha7305]

Good talk. Those mouth sounds are giving me asmr tho lol

[@robertleedavis3815]

Ah dry mouth syndrome strikes again!

[@MianCowell]

poor operating from the sound desk too

[@selahkeys]

😛😛😝😝

[@SadTown99]

I been trying to hand this man a glass of water for 5 years.

[@helsha]

I struggle with finishing things so much that I haven’t even finished watching this video :/

[@marleywaters8787]

Thanks Mr Robert Davis

[@gteamer1]

Thank you.

[@diaryofseresha]

The grandmother story made me lil bit teary :"). No one can ever love you like a granma. My nano(granma, mother's mum) is like that she so amazing. Went to Iran n bought me dress n pants as gift from her own money. I love her to death. Be good to your elders kids

[@joaidane]

I think we don't finish because we're pretty sure that anything we could add, that we can think of at this point in time, will not make it any better! It would "finish it" in a sense but in worse state than it is now. So we'd rather not do that and just wait for possibly some great inspiration down the road. :)

[@lorenasdiscoveries]

8:45 We don't finish things when...

[@user-hh9jc9hs8f]

For me I just get short bursts of excitement and creativity, and once I start the project, and I am pretty far into it, I just become more and more uninterested; it just gets boring

[@kyonas6047]

Yeah for me i can't put more than 2 hours in one piece even if i try to countiune the piece it never works or it turn out bad

[@tubbyszabo6586]

I have a serious problem with not finishing my art. 1 of my arts is watching KZbin videos. I didn't finish the video.

[@tubbyszabo6586]

Damn this is a great ASMR video. Helps me fall asleep with those lip sounds.

[@eunivurse]

i honestly thought this video was about why i dont finish my art bc of laziness or something lol but he literally made me realize things.

[@solidmasterdante]

Using headphones. It's VERY hard to focus beyond those mouth sounds :/

[@robertleedavis3815]

Yeah! I do hope you were able to get something out it despite the distractions.

[@zerutsega301]

duuude ikr i cant focus even zo im not using headphones

[@desertshadow72]

I still doing know why we don't finish things. Also, I'm not sold its good, even after your touching and vulnerable stories.

[@selahkeys]

WOW I FINALLY GET IT !!!!!

[@tumininu8086]

the temptation to not finish watching this video 😔

[@spelaelizabetapahor9568]

Great ❤

[@benblume6623]

Its hard to see when something is finished. I don't know. I often think about doing a copy or many versions of a piece, so I can try changes and see then what it needs. But its very hard to touch a work if it has reached a certain level. When it feels so full already and its hard to anything. What I just realized is that if you really feel the work you maybe don't have the problem, because then its no adding, you know when a change is real.

[@astralflux9079]

😮😮😮 I needed this ... I’m always giving myself such a hard time for not finishing my art v:/

[@JoeGuapo]

Astral Flux how you doing?

[@pastelkar8202]

I thought this was a beautiful Ted talk!

[@bear-chan8376]

My Grama used to buy clay for me. So I made her some little sheep. She would keep them in a nestle' tin. And she would do the same thing. T.T Love you Mee-Maw.

[@MM-bw1lo]

Great Ted Talk, "We don't finish things when were not passionate or on purpose"

[@carlitoxb110]

I don't finish what I

[@RVANae]

Carlitox b Start* lol

[@joyfulcookiegaming]

Lol

[@FUNNYMANERICWHITE]

Joyful Cookie lo

[@soha150]

I watch this video at 1.5X speed is it count that I have finish the video or not?

[@thatspineappletastic]

I was just wondering why I can never finish tv shows but it got way deeper than that 😅

[@ndodier]

Thank you 🙏🏾 The answer is so simple if it was unfinished it was because it was not ment to be. It was not in alignment or on purpose it’s just a part of our story ♥️

[@cjsamtab7]

In Singapore, MOST people (if not EVERYONE) will have to leave their Dream/s in Cold Store.

[@LimStephBianca]

damn i can’t even get myself to finish this video

[@raiyanbhuiyan4369]

This is exactly what I needed to get me to finish nuke school

[@alexfxlll]

lol

[@akshaypathak7999]

hahahaha

[@Rokvtm]

You will not finish because you know were you are going. That certainty makes it boring, Be more impulsive and plan less

[@commontopg3320]

I can barely even finish this video

[@DonSnypaDynasty]

I wanted to finish this video, bu...

[@mindjoystudio6436]

What a heartbreakingly cute kid you were. Oh my.

[@marshallrickman8235]

Closed this by mistake... Almost didn't finish it.

[@jasonbutz5165]

HOW ABOUT THAT JASON BUTZ 51 ARTWORK

[@MunniDivya]

There's no closure for anything for me

[@monikathomas4985]

So hilarious how he changes his voice 😂

[@MikeLuisCozinheiro75]

I never finish things. Including this video, but I liked . But you need a glass of water when you speech

[@bobbyprasaddas7694]

And I could not finish this video

[@yabontheinternet8640]

As soon as I read the title I felt called out wtf-

[@yeahrightbear8883]

Damn I'm barely 5 minutes in and I'm trying so hard to finish this. Edit: Alright guys I made it. And you know what I learned? I learned that much like this video some things aren't worth finishing which also happed to be the point of this video. This guy basically says its okay to not finish thing. This is not what I was looking for at all. I need encouragement to finish a project right now because if I don't I will really be hurting myself in the long run. I doubt anyone in this comment section is going to finish reading this comment.

[@bsdiceman]

I finished

[@kkendalbruce2332]

I find it suspicious that he tears up about his grandmother the same time he did when he gave this exact same speech.

[@dallaslovato7002]

Speech or monologue? 😝

[@Potatoes_are_very_gay]

Is someone else here because you can't finish a Minecraft build or is it just me? XD

[@timmy5442]

in

[@jayocaine2946]

No employer or game dev will accept a half finished song. Sorry, finishing things is an objectively good quality. This is like saying hey you finished in 4th, at least it wasn't 5th, definitely detrimental to personal development.

[@nan8773]

So much drama in this video that I couldn't finish it either 😑

[@_matetina]

I didn’t finish watching the video

[@IriaChannel]

This guy makes me uneasy

[@alexfxlll]

*gazes into distance* laughs "anyway". started to get a bit annoying tbh

[@johnd3301]

I didn’t finish watching this video… you bored me.

[@mrericmendez5049]

Unpopular opinion: Theres like *no energy* in this dude's voice.

[@analoti]

what does that even mean?

[@mrericmendez5049]

Like I feel like there was no excitement. :( I loved the content but it could be just a small suggestion to amp up the energy. Like be exciting! It is supposed to be an inspiring video.

[@Fyrtenheimer]

There was plenty of energy -- it's a very moving and inspiring story. Getting motivated in only one manner is going to hamstring you.

[@prdiludi4432]

anyone annoyed with his sloppy mouth sounds?

[@atamtaki9336]

What a cheap emotion talk. Can't stand this silliness.

[@benblume6623]

I can't listen to this his mouth is so dry...