Sunday, September 20, 2009

From September 6th 2009

More quotes and thoughts generated from "Writing Down the Bones"

"If you are not afraid of the voices inside you,  you will not fear the critics outside you." (17)

I think its also: if I follow, accept, trust and listen to the deeper voice inside, not the many chattering ones, that I can feel confident that I'm doing the best I can and then there is no base to fear the critics outside or the critics inside. 

Setting up criteria for design projects is like writing a prompt. I respond to the prompt. I always have it to refer back to - is my work relating back to that prompt?

In "Writing Down the Bones," Natalie Goldman gives an exercise to try. She says to pick or make up a line of words. It can be the first thing that comes to mind. Now, respond to it, write about it. Okay, so I tried it. My line:

"Only certain people are invited" 

That is what popped into my mind. Then I responded. Where would that line take me?

Time, space, and money limit the invitation of more. How many people can one person know well and give quality, quantity attention too? There is a tipping point for the amount of people one can genuinely give oneself to. What is the tipping point for planet earth? For Planet Us? Earth can take so much stress! But it is an entity of energy like our bodies, and like them, it will change states, wear out, renew. Huh. You can start anywhere and end up somewhere entirely unexpected. My original line came because I am having bosses and co-workers over for brunch tomorrow and, while I would like to invite some other friends, I can't handle too large of a group at my house.

"There is no permanent truth you can corner in a poem that will satisfy you forever. Don't identify too strongly with your work. It is not you." (33)

Every minute I am changing. I am not the same person anymore who created the Atacama piece in Fall 2007 or the same person that created the Scan book last April. 

I love this: "If you think big enough to let people eat cars, you will be able to see that ants are elephants and men are women." (35)


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