Tuesday, November 11, 2014

The Disappearing Artist



[Written during a Contemplative Dance Practice retreat.]

The practices we are doing are about getting out of the way of what wants to arise. All those composers who said “it came through me, I received it, hearing it all” were talking about that. It’s a completely different model than the sonar-like soundings of an artist looking for confirmation.

To perform at all, there has to be some pleasure in being seen. In some cases it’s a need, the way one gets validation, or feels self-worth. What a minefield!

The audience could never substitute for what must be an internal job—understanding one’s worth on a deep level, having conviction that one belongs on this earth irrespective of applause or accomplishment. 

Addressing those needs in a saner way leaves room for truer and riskier art adventures. They are liberated then from fulfilling a role they should never have been expected to fill.