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Which is part of art's intent. To express, to articulate a thought or feeling of the artist. Consider an author's series of books that have the same mother-daughter vein running through each plot. Or the photographer who consistently shoots in black and white, their eye stark and straightforward. Or the gardener who plants in themes of yellow, giving a sunny visual to her passion. Or the musician always singing in search of love.
A window gives focus, shining a light on a certain view. Be aware of the window in your creations. Think of it often, letting the audience see your essence, your soul, wonderfully, through the panes of your art.
~Joanne
Lovely! I wish more writers would be a bit more "translucent" online, so I can get a glimpse of the real person behind the work:) I love this Joanne. Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteI love the photograph with this post and you've given me something to ponder today.
ReplyDeleteOh, I LOVE this. There's something so compelling when you can see a bit (or more) of someone's personality and soul in the work they create. It brings heart to it and a connection that's just very, very special :)
ReplyDeleteLindsay - There's usually a window somewhere, sometimes we just have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteOne MN Writer - Thanks, happy pondering :)
Shari - I so agree, it's that heart that we always seek and connect with, isn't it. The purpose of the work.
Oooh, that's true. I was just reading a writing "How to" book and they were saying as much as we don't want to admit it, there is a lot of "us" in the characters we create.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! I love when I read a book and can get a feel of who the writer is by their words. Thanks for the reminder that its okay to do that:)
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I think mine is to bring light to real life situations. I also like using light in my photos. I like the lines and shadows. And, songs about light also draw me in. We'll be singing "This little light of mine" next Sunday!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I worry that I'm too translucent in my blog and comments. Oh, well...that's who I am.
ReplyDeleteJennifer - I think that's true on some level, it's practically unavoidable as we create.
ReplyDeleteDeana - I think that's a big part of the draw to read, or to the arts. That connection to the artist, beneath the work.
Beautiful post. I think of this often as I'm writing, about the transparency. I certainly want some of me to come through, but there's also a point where I strive for a little more opacity.
ReplyDeleteMary - What a nice idea, to illuminate every day life, scenes that we can all relate to. It seems that bringing them to light is a way of finding the deeper meaning in them, too.
ReplyDeleteEm-Musing - I think some are more than others, but in some way, that pane we see through in art is always there.
L.G. - Me, too. I know that I hold back. To me, writing is not an open door to my life, just a glimpse inside.
That's something that I sometimes struggle with. Great post, Joanne.
ReplyDeleteSuch a fabulous reminder, Joanne. And I agree, the more window I see the better I usually like it.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Denton
Joanne, beautiful and inspiring. Seeing little bits through the work brings me back again and again to an author's writing.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Patti - I hear you, there's a balance we have to strike as we create.
ReplyDeleteCatherine - To me, it adds to the work if I see some of the artist in it.
Mason - Good point. It gives a very real and personal layer to the work that we like to see.
Such inspiring words and thoughts, Joanne! :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! Photo of sculpture illustrates point so well.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I think that it is part of the processing that we do as artists in all venues. Like the way you consistently refer to varied art forms, not just writing. It gives a bigger perspective to me as a writer who also is interested in those other areas of art from gardens to music to pictures and more. Thanks for this inclusivity in your posts!
This is so true. I am leaning more and more that to really connect with people through my art it's essential to offer glimpses through the "window."
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday Joanne, and have a great weekend!
Cafe Fashionista - Happy to inspire this Friday :)
ReplyDeletePatricia - I think much of the creative process overlaps among the arts, and this way my blog is not limited to just the craft of writing. We have something to learn from all the creative endeavors out there, definitely.
Valerie - I think you're right. If we don't show some part of ourselves through that window, we'll struggle for that personal connection necessary to what we do.
Great thoughts for today. I believe a piece of our soul goes into our creations. How can it not?
ReplyDeletecouldn't have said it better myself. lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that certain molecules reacting to temperature and pressure can form something transparent. There is no "reason" after all that glass should be clear. It just is.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true, and I don't think of it often. I just browsed through a small book on Georgia O'Keefe, and your words resonated me--you can certainly see it in her paintings. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne! Such a beautiful and thought inspiring post today. This vulnerability that arises from sharing ourselves through our art is something that has always been a challenge for me. Launching my creations out into the world and letting people perceive them with their own eyes of truth. It is true we can really tell when someone is being translucent. Their work whatever it is, becomes deeper more meaningful, and there is a connection. Have a lovely afternoon! Delisa :)
ReplyDeleteThe tough part is knowing what and how to show it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely and thought provoking post.. I love the photo as well..
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this. A certain overall theme runs through all my work.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend!
A part of me always goes into my writing.
ReplyDeleteJournaling Woman - I know, really, how else can we create? It's all tied together, our selves, our work.
ReplyDeleteJ.A. - Glad you enjoyed the post :)
Michael - Thanks for your thoughts today ...
Jill - Thanks, Jill, you too :)
ReplyDeleteDelisa - It's all a part of creating, that sense of putting not only our art out there, but a part of ourselves, too.
Southpaw - It's a layer we have to explore, to know ourselves and how we want to give that knowledge to the art.
Susie - I'm glad you like this bear-y special photo :)
ReplyDeleteCarol - It's good to stay true, when you want to reflect you!
Janet - You're a child at heart, writing for the children :)
Hmm. I vacillate. I don't always want to be translucent.
ReplyDeleteThis explains a lot of things about my writing. I've noticed a few common veins in each book I write. Yep, I'm more translucent than I realized.
ReplyDeleteNice, Joanne. Some beautiful imagery there. Have a lovely long weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful richness of thought you've given me to muse over this weekend. I try to put authentic pieces of my spirit in my writing. It's part of the joy of the process.
ReplyDeleteI spent the last couple days reading Mary Oliver's poetry and it was very much like this. She definitely has recurring themes. You see just enough of her in the work.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thanks, Joanne.
ReplyDeleteA Jon Secada song had a line that said..'Look inside, look inside through the window that goes to my heart'. There is something about vulnerability/disclosure which is both terrorfying and liberating at the same time. For me, age and battle scars have made it easier to tell it as it is...the great pleasure and mysterious elememt of writing is to tell the tale in a way that the reader can discover their own truths as part of the process.
ReplyDeleteI think that's what draws so many to art -- the ability to see the underlying emotion to a work. If you don't let your self shine through, who will be drawn to it?
ReplyDeleteMargaret - I know, me too. Not always. Or I guess I should say not completely. It's a fine line we walk between putting our selves out there and not.
ReplyDeleteStina - Sometimes we just can't help it. Our own interests and experiences shape the work ... thus Write What You Know.
Donna - Thanks, I'll be thinking of you enjoying those seaside tropical breezes ...
ReplyDeleteLeslie - I like the way you put it, the joy of the process. It is at the heart of it, isn't it.
Linda - That seems part of the equation too, knowing just how much to invest in the art, and when to hold back.
ReplyDeleteTalli - You're welcome! Happy Saturday ...
Accidentalwriter - Oh so true. Discovering their own truths can be such a part of the connection with the work.
ReplyDeleteMary - I think so too. That emotion gives it a realness, shining a light on some aspect of our lives
"Be aware of the window in your creations."
ReplyDeleteLove that line! This is a beautiful post, especially for anyone with a creative side.
You gave some great examples that I wouldn't normally think about, like gardening. And I love how you used translucency to illustrate your point here. I think art or any sort of creation helps us find ourselves, our themes.
ReplyDeleteLauryn - So glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteMargo - Good point, that the creating helps us to find and know ourselves. I like that.
This idea of translucence is in poetry. I think poets do a beautiful job of incorporating elements of themselves into their work. I immediately think of Emily Dickinson, Theodore Roethke, even Shakespeare. Whether consciously or not, as the reader, you can see the poet's essence.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne .. beautiful image - while the words of our art can shine through - we just need to release and let them flow .. forever over the rocks of life ...
ReplyDeleteCheers - Hilary
Haha, I love this bear.
ReplyDeleteJen - That's such an important thought, that the reader must see that essence. I believe that's where the connection forms.
ReplyDeleteHilary - Exactly. Let them flow. There is a certain release we have to allow the words.
Miriam - I'm glad, and not surprised, given your love of animals!