Oct 7, 2005
Quote I've been looking for
Thanks to Dorothy for this
"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening
that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique.
If you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium
and be lost.
The world will not have it.
It is not yours to determine how good it is;
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly
to the urges that motivate you.
Keep the channel open.
No artist is ever pleased.
There is no satisfaction whatever at any time.
There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction;
a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
and makes us more alive than the others."
--Martha Graham to Agnes De Mille
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4 comments:
That quote does not leave my fridge. It's been there 5 years.
I like it, Adam, and Dorothy - until the last line. It's not good for an artist to set him or herself apart from 'the others', as if we're a different species. To say that we're more alive than a pregnant highschool girl, or a cardiac nurse, or any other person who doesn't happen to produce art is plain wrong, and invites the charge of condescension, one of the most heinous crimes an artist can be accused of.
gosh, sorry. didn't mean to go off on one quite so much.
enjoying the blog...
Hmmm. I hear what you're saying. But i don't hear "the others" in the quote as meaning "the ones who aren't artists..." I hear it as meaning "the ones who don't keep the channel open.", whoever they might be. I hear as meaning that whatever passion you have even if it is baking bread, that you should keep your channel open while you do it. That is always how i heard the quote. My partner is not an artist per sé and i would never set myself apart this way... :)
Dorothy, thanks for sharing with Adam and Adam, thanks for sharing with all. Long time since I've read it and it means a lot of different things now.
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