It seems coincidental yet fitting that after filtering through the Frieze Fair for things I could use (materials, techniques, displays) and coming away with an unimpressive whole, that I should stumble upon this bit of wisdom:

When I first started going to [artist’s] studios, I was looking for work that met my own terms, even if I couldn’t quite define them. But after a while, I realized that I was approaching the whole enterprise from the wrong end. I needed to find out what the work’s terms were, and then see if I could stretch my understanding to meet them.

(from the prologue of Marcia Tucker’s A Short Life of Trouble, 2008)

Indeed, objects I make are often seen as the results of my efforts. But moreover, the ultimate results I seek to create are the internal and external experiences that unravel, visually and conceptually, over time.

[Thanks, CLF, for the recommendation.]