It’s finally Fall. I feel the freshness of new beginnings. Though some of you may be wishing Summer could continue forever, I do not. Summer is an idea that we have when we are very young that doesn’t continue into adulthood. Who takes summer off? Teachers, perhaps. Students, of course. Fall means we go back to work, but it also means we focus again on what matters, that we attend to the business of life.
Let me reflect on the act of writing now, for since I started writing for my Substack I’ve had more of an opportunity to use my words than ever before. To speak directly to you, as directly as I can. To speak about what engages me, and how. I’ve been reading other newsletters here on Substack, and by and large they are one of two things: an occasion to write blithely about life, to offer lighthearted opinions and pedestrian reflections; or to obsess over something that overtakes and dominates the thinking process of the writer, like the lives of 5th century women, or Eighties pop trends, or novels written all over the world. I can do neither without fear of failure. I am here to reveal, and if I am able, to challenge; using language and the things that it loves. What are these, you may ask? I am happy to explain. Language loves playfulness. It loves to go on an adventure, learning new things, taking on new expressions. Language also loves emotion. To dig deep down into our psyches, or fly to the heavens. Language loves to make a point, to argue well. If I can combine all three aspects, I feel that I have accomplished something. So yes, I may be writing about art, or literature, or writing a story about life, people, places, and so on. But I am letting Language have its way.
Each time I attend to a new subject in my writing, I have to remain open to what’s needed. I can’t get caught in old habits of over-intellectualizing my reactions. They have to be honest and forthright. Giving vent to a linguistic and syntactical openness is twice as important as sounding officious. I credit these letters themselves with providing me with an opportunity to talk around as well as about my specific essays, and at the same time, using a conversational tone that allows me to avoid the cryptic fussiness of intentional criticism. I fight this all the time, and the results are their own proof. It helps that I have at my disposal not only a great library, but my own past engagement with respected critics who each, in their own way, have accomplished a reputation at the expense of honesty and clarity. Perhaps its only their perspectives that seem dated. I have found that in order to break away from past models I have to seek a language beyond the limits they assumed. This has been accomplished due to my interest in writing about Literature, which I stayed away from for too long, feeling that either it was too lofty and academic a pursuit for me, or that I didn’t have a vocabulary for it. But I have found that the challenge to encompass Literature rewards me with the words I need. It’s not exactly the same as when I write about art, because it’s not a translation of dynamics, but rather a limited perspective with much to say. The words come from me.
Writing about art and artists is never easy. It may take years for me to produce a full essay of which I can be proud. This was the case with my most recent post here, Raphael Zollinger and The Beauty of Forgetting. I have travelled through heaps of pages trying to make sense of what he was doing, which was more complicated than what it seemed from mere appearances. The ideas that are bound up in his work give a strong impression, but they don’t bear translation as much as they inspire evocation. The images themselves are not ideas; they are loaded experiences that need to speak their truths and not have their meaning hidden behind obtuse syllogisms. Critical language can sometimes seem impenetrable. A few people like this, but most don’t. I prefer to err on the side of inspiration. If you haven’t already, give the piece a read.
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To those few who received this email twice, my apologies. I did not publish that version to everyone properly. My next post will be in a few days, from the new PAPER RAGE series of articles.
To those few who received this email twice, my apologies. I did not publish that version to everyone properly. My next post will be in a few days, from the new PAPER RAGE series of articles.