This weekend, I received an incredible encouragement from a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. She said, “I like your status updates, because you say real things.”
I could have done a little dance. My brain cells were partying with my heart cells. And do you know why?
No, it’s not that someone found my writing engaging. No, it’s not even that someone likes me.
It’s about this. If the artists, poets, or musicians of our society fall prey to the idea that we have to varnish our day to day lives, market ourselves, slant everything in a positive light, and only say sweet things, art won’t matter. If we can’t share annoyance, anger, and despair in addition to love, gratitude, and wonder, then nothing we do will come within striking distance of the heart of another person.
In other words, artists have a mandate to stand in complete opposition to the advice “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
We should probably, however, still live by Wheaton‘s Law – “Don’t be a dick.”
So, my blogging friends, that brings me to my spring manifesto. It is very simple. Remember not to white-wash my life. But try not to be a dick.
3 comments
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March 29, 2011 at 2:36 am
mattface
I don’t think I’ve told you so, but this new version of your blog is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
You know what would be awesome? Pictures. If you could find some way to add pictures to your blog, perhaps even in such a way that you don’t cause yourself a ton of headaches.
The things you talk about cooking just sound so great, I’d love to see what they look like in the real world.
March 29, 2011 at 2:38 am
mattface
Also, whoops. I meant to leave this on your most recent post, but I was apparently too dumb, and left it on the one of the few recent blog posts that have nothing to do with food.
But anyway, food pictures are still awesome.
March 29, 2011 at 11:57 am
artmajorese
I keep thinking that I need to add some food photography, too. What is it congressmen say, if they get a letter fro someone it counts as like 100 other people? So I guess your comment should count as like 10 other people at least. So that basically makes it a clamor for food photos, doesn’t it?