What is Great Art?

[neeshadm]

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I found this really cool video in a post by the awesome mutineers at Sepia, and just had to share.  You can read the full post here.

Mutineer Abhi writes, "Writer Gene Weingarten helped orchestrate a brilliant “stunt” on commuters passing through L’Enfant Plaza last January...He took one of the most gifted violin players in the world, dressed him

Comments

[neeshadm]

I hear you, Teri, and I agree. But let me put this out to you: do you write for you, or do you write for your audience? If it's just for you, then why bother getting published?

[neeshadm]

As I mentioned in my reply to Devarae's post, for me the writing has always been about connection. Whether it's a connection to myself, or to connect with others. So, in that sense, I do think of my reader. But you're right--if I thought I was writing to be *judged* by my reader, I'd freeze up, I'm sure.

[deva_fagan]

Wow, great article. Thanks for posting the links!

It's such an interesting topic too. For my part, a big part of writing is of wanting to connect with people through stories. Even if I wrote a book I myself loved and thought was great, I would definitely feel depressed if no one else seemed to care or want to read it. I can also see some parallels to what Bell says about how he doesn't really think about the technical aspects of playing as much (because he's practiced so much it's all there) but that he concentrates on the emotions and story that the song is conveying. I don't think I'll ever be so accomplished that I don't need to think about the technical aspects of writing, but I do feel like the most important thing about writing is the story, and the connection it creates with the reader, who hears/reads it and brings something to it.

Hmm... I'll stop there before I blather on too much. I think I should post a longer entry in my own journal about this! :-)

[neeshadm]

I love the way you put that, Deva. For me, it's all about connection, too. But I do agree that the technical expertise has to be in place before you can let the emotions soar. That's what "honing one's craft" is all about, right? I liken it to Olympic ice skaters -- they have to learn how to skate well first, before they can choreograph great, moving dances on the ice.

[heather_ink]

This is such a good question. I keep weighing it. I think ideally I write to connect, but I write to connect because its built into me... I think so much of story-telling is about relating... the best kinds of stories, to me, are the ones that speak to my experiences or tell truths Ive often thought to myself... so I guess I always want to tell those kinds of truths for my reader. ideally. and yet that said, I never want to write to trends, to expectations... and so much of publishing is about the right kind of story at the right time.

[neeshadm]

I SO agree. With all of it :).

Could I cross-post this response to the Debs' Topic Discussion?

[neeshadm]

Or you could do it so that your gorgeous smiling icon is next to the comment :).

The link is:
http://community.livejournal.com/debut2009/70987.html