BattleBots, Food Network Challenge, Iron Chef America, Chopped, Project Runway, Cupcake Wars. These are justsome of the TV shows that combine DIY projects with a competitive format.
The conventional wisdom is that competition and artistic expression don’t mix. There isn’t one right solution in art the way there is in math. A landscape painting by Thomas Cole is no better than one by Vincent Van Gogh, or Richard Diebenkorn. While it is true that artistic endeavors are some what subjective, competition and judging adds a lot of value.
+ Competitions have calendars – The biggest barrier to DIY projects has to be time. It is way to easy to put off starting to learn a new skill or tinkering with a project if you don’t have an external deadline. Competitions force you to finish your gingerbread house or combat robot at a fixed time.
+ Competitions create awareness – Competitions have audiences. These people get exposed to the craft or skill and some percentage will want to participate. The other portion will be spectators and make the practitioners ”famous” which sets the bar higher while providing a psychological reward.
+ Competitions diffuse knowledge – Competitions are like patents that last for 17 days instead of 17 years. When you compete, you are sharing new ideas and innovations. Your new designs provide a short term advantage, but once demonstrated spread in the community helping to raise everybody’s game.
+ Competitions force practice – No one wants to be embarrassed in front of friends or foe so they step up their game and really try to build their skills. Absent public pressure, it is easy to fall into a rut and not experiment or improve.
+ Competitions are social – Win or lose, competing brings together people with similar interests and temperments. People talk shop, build bonds, and make memories that outlast the outcome of a single day.
A barrage of basic cable programs have shown us what is possible when creativity and competition are combined. Hopefully, this trend will spill out of the television and onto kitchen tables across the country.
