The arts reveal us.
In that we run the risks of silly melodrama, self-centeredness, self-importance. In the arts, self is the center of the artist's work. William Stafford, among the best of the 20th Century American poets, wrote about his own writing "I know that back of my activity there will be the coherence of my self, and that indulgence of my impulses will bring recurrent patterns and meanings again."
This echoes my half-conscious thinking while writing that whatever comes may be crap once but with further writing becomes the material of linkages, having in common the steady state of selfhood. Writers are forever discovering patterns and themes in their accumulated work that they hadn't known or hadn't quite known were there or so strongly there until suddenly those patterns are clear and the rewriting can recommence. Meanwhile the production must continue.
Artists have to study themselves and their own work. This is also true in singing. We polish only when we obsess about our own production. We must be self-centered to be able to offer anything good. We have to keep singing to have the product for the self to examine.
This probably helps explain how some musicians can be such crazy people, or flamboyant, or even cruel. This examination of personal production is so exasperating and occasionally thrilling and often disappointing and about me me me. There's something bad mannered about this. My stolid Norwegian ancestors with their straight faces and horror of public demonstrations of feeling and disdain for self reference would spin in their graves--if they could summon such strong expressions of disapproval.
How did I ever get into writing, teaching writing, and singing? Me me me?
In that we run the risks of silly melodrama, self-centeredness, self-importance. In the arts, self is the center of the artist's work. William Stafford, among the best of the 20th Century American poets, wrote about his own writing "I know that back of my activity there will be the coherence of my self, and that indulgence of my impulses will bring recurrent patterns and meanings again."
This echoes my half-conscious thinking while writing that whatever comes may be crap once but with further writing becomes the material of linkages, having in common the steady state of selfhood. Writers are forever discovering patterns and themes in their accumulated work that they hadn't known or hadn't quite known were there or so strongly there until suddenly those patterns are clear and the rewriting can recommence. Meanwhile the production must continue.
Artists have to study themselves and their own work. This is also true in singing. We polish only when we obsess about our own production. We must be self-centered to be able to offer anything good. We have to keep singing to have the product for the self to examine.
This probably helps explain how some musicians can be such crazy people, or flamboyant, or even cruel. This examination of personal production is so exasperating and occasionally thrilling and often disappointing and about me me me. There's something bad mannered about this. My stolid Norwegian ancestors with their straight faces and horror of public demonstrations of feeling and disdain for self reference would spin in their graves--if they could summon such strong expressions of disapproval.
How did I ever get into writing, teaching writing, and singing? Me me me?
3 Comments:
Mr. Peabody,
This post is one of the reasons I read your blog every day...and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Your passion, modest-ness, and genuine amazement with yourself are all so ... real!
You (like me and many other geniuses) do not give yourself enough credit in your abilities. You inspire people in ways you know others do, but do not see it in yourself!
You got into writing because it is your passion - it is part of your being - part of your soul. You cannot deny that which is in your heart - you cannot deny your true self.
Singing is just another part of your soul; it was just time for it to come out.
Remember to give yourself credit and inspiration as you do me and so many other people.
"The arts reveal us." lovely--and downright quotable.
The audience is self focused as well. The glory of applause and a job well done is the me, me, me for the singer...the experience of hearing it is the me, me, me of the audience.
A vicious, lovely cycle!
Great thoughts here.
:D
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