The magic lies not just in the effort itself but in how it is directed. Teller’s months of work burying boxes weren’t random. Sustaining long-term effort toward an uncertain payoff requires more than discipline—it demands resilience and a reimagining of gratification. The real magic, perhaps, lies not in the final trick, but in cultivating a mindset where the process itself becomes fulfilling, where the act of burying boxes is embraced as a craft, not just a means to an end.
It's like being on the winning upward spiral is not hard. What is hard is turning around downward spiral into upward one in context of uncertain outcome.
Though, would the burrying have any meaning without the reveal? Its only purpose was to be used in the end. I have a hard time seeing the meaning of the burrying itself.
Some get their rocks off interfacing with the relationship between their art and those who engage with it. Others are entirely satisfied with the process of making art itself. The former is an externalized process, the latter is internalized.
Different strokes for different folks, but you can put me in a box with no human interaction and a keyboard, and I will find no end of entertainment through self-exploration via the artistic process.
The end goal is still the organizing principle. The target to relentlessly pursue.
But discovering the path to the goal also has meaning.
Every little step down the path, the surprising things that are easy, the unexpected things that are hard, is worth celebrating. They are all taking us where we want to go! The ups and downs are the path.
