So insightful and fun and helpfully thought-inspiring. Thank you! I nodded Yes through the whole essay but came away with a firm signal from somewhere in my reading and viewing experience that, FOR ME, there's no difference whatsoever. That meaning always and forever will be "found" or "determined" by the reader/viewer/listener as they come upon any work of art. At the same time, meaning(s) can deepen, layer, veer off course, contradict each other (even in the same person) as we are exposed to other POVs including creators', or teachers'. Meaning(s) even arise or get shaded depending on what mood we're in, and/or the histories and lore that have shaped us. AND YET, the great magic and mystery for me as a "maker" is that "something" in my intention matters. It translates (or doesn't) to people I don't know and never will. Sometimes uniformly. Sometimes not. It so reminds me of theater from the production, not performance side of things. (I know you share my background in this regard) As a director, designer, I'm busy doing everything I can to be sure that when an audience encounters this work--in my absence--they will have experiences I'm hoping for them, stories that cohere (or don't, if that's what I'm hoping for). I wrestle with all of this taking editors' notes and revising. I don't wrestle at all when listening to readers or audiences. There the miracles are revealed: what has come through given the secrets I have regarding intention? What has gotten garbled? What aspect of the work of art that I didn't know was there is the very one that seems to have grabbed most folks who've come upon it? Too often I flog myself with these questions, measuring "success" in some relationship to my heart and my works in the world instead of enjoying the mystery, the mystery....And oh, btw, the old Open Yale Courses podcasts (2009) on "Dante in Translation" (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dante-in-translation-video/id341650845)are wonderful.
Thank you Amanda 🙏 Yes there’s so much more to be said on this, beyond a substack. Contradictory readings, bumping up against other people’s interpretations, and yes, playing to the audience (not in a hammy way but a reciprocal way) all impact intent and meaning.
Amanda, thank you for nudging me toward this piece. Elizabeth, I'd never thought there might be a difference between the way we see art and the way we see literature. I assumed, I guess, we process them the same way. Maybe because I am totally untrained in art--I just view it with uneducated interest--I think I do go through a museum treating each work as if it were a story.
So insightful and fun and helpfully thought-inspiring. Thank you! I nodded Yes through the whole essay but came away with a firm signal from somewhere in my reading and viewing experience that, FOR ME, there's no difference whatsoever. That meaning always and forever will be "found" or "determined" by the reader/viewer/listener as they come upon any work of art. At the same time, meaning(s) can deepen, layer, veer off course, contradict each other (even in the same person) as we are exposed to other POVs including creators', or teachers'. Meaning(s) even arise or get shaded depending on what mood we're in, and/or the histories and lore that have shaped us. AND YET, the great magic and mystery for me as a "maker" is that "something" in my intention matters. It translates (or doesn't) to people I don't know and never will. Sometimes uniformly. Sometimes not. It so reminds me of theater from the production, not performance side of things. (I know you share my background in this regard) As a director, designer, I'm busy doing everything I can to be sure that when an audience encounters this work--in my absence--they will have experiences I'm hoping for them, stories that cohere (or don't, if that's what I'm hoping for). I wrestle with all of this taking editors' notes and revising. I don't wrestle at all when listening to readers or audiences. There the miracles are revealed: what has come through given the secrets I have regarding intention? What has gotten garbled? What aspect of the work of art that I didn't know was there is the very one that seems to have grabbed most folks who've come upon it? Too often I flog myself with these questions, measuring "success" in some relationship to my heart and my works in the world instead of enjoying the mystery, the mystery....And oh, btw, the old Open Yale Courses podcasts (2009) on "Dante in Translation" (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dante-in-translation-video/id341650845)are wonderful.
Thank you Amanda 🙏 Yes there’s so much more to be said on this, beyond a substack. Contradictory readings, bumping up against other people’s interpretations, and yes, playing to the audience (not in a hammy way but a reciprocal way) all impact intent and meaning.
Amanda, thank you for nudging me toward this piece. Elizabeth, I'd never thought there might be a difference between the way we see art and the way we see literature. I assumed, I guess, we process them the same way. Maybe because I am totally untrained in art--I just view it with uneducated interest--I think I do go through a museum treating each work as if it were a story.
This helped me see some recent creative hangups/unnecessary pressure on myself in a more digestible way!! Thank you!!