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     In a distant earlier lifetime I worked for a newspaper with a large art department. Each year, human resources wonks conducted an employee attitude survey. Among the survey's sure things was that the artists would drag in with the absolute worst attitudes in the entire joint.  Not only did they finish last, they consistently came in last by astoundingly huge margins behind the department with the next-worst whine-quotent, the newsroom.

      Some of the give-and-take on this site remind how the newspaper artists easily became irritated and grouchy about most anything outside their personal cubicles.  The artists of that day, and now those of us today, surely are creative geniuses. But there's often a price to pay. The tradeoff is that many of us have problems with, as the human relations creatures might have said, intrapersonal relationships.

     We work way better by our lonesomes than as part of some team. Art, the polar opposite of math, has no right or wrong. So in our pristine artistic minds we always are right. It refreshes us to advise someone that he or she is flat dead wrong.

     All art debates such as those occasionally erupting like volcanoes on this site are made in total self-interest. But remember this: Nobody ever really wins an art debate. Ever.

     Self-interest means our arguments are based on what's best for the person doing the arguing. This may or may not be what is best for you and your art business.  But hardly any of us are much capable of anything other than tunnel vision. If you don't completely agree with the way I do it, I am compelled to inform you in the name of truth that you obviouly have been sadly misinformed.

     Sirited debate about the weighty issues of our business is entertaining, educational, enlightning and in some cases mind-boggling. Some of us, genetically incapable of refusing to acknowledge even the slightest posible crack in our argument, lash out against others like pit bulls in frenzy. Wouldn't be surprised to see some of our excellent contributors threaten to hold their breaths until (1) a shift in the other person's position or (2) death, whichever might come first.

     But either consequence would be to no avail. The other guy is never really gonna change, no matter how hard you try. You think furiously banging on your keyboard to launch a savage personal attack might win you some style points? Not going to happen. But it does make for fun reading.

     So have at it, boys and girls, and be thankful for forums like this, allowing you to advise the entire known world about how things ought to be according to the Ultimate Authority On All Art Matters. That of course would be you.

      I must go now. I feel a possible art argument coming on.

      As for you, stay far far away from employee attitude surveys.