The Monster’s in the House
What’s an artist to do?
Art is the whisper of history, heard above the noise of time -Julian Barnes
It might be too late for cautionary tales. The monster’s in the house. It could be dangerous to address it in plain sight because you might get hurt. So what’s an artist to do? We whisper.
The worst enemy
The worst enemy of monsters is not the fight. They love fighting. Their worst enemies are humor, imagination, curiosity, and love. Maybe that’s what stories should be made of. The pencil being mightier than the sword.
On Humor
Most monsters are angry people. He who bites cannot laugh, said sociologist Norbert Elias. Humor exposes their hypocrisy, punctures their vanity, and gives us perspective. We cannot take them too seriously.
Imagination
Imagination is the world of possibilities beyond what we call real life. “Don’t show me what I already know” is photographer Duane Michaels' advice to young artists. Imagination can transform and it can redeem. It’s the artist’s superpower.
Curiosity
In the words of Milan Kundera, the world of monsters is a world full of answers rather than questions. The writer teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. We should listen.
Love
For horrible monsters, to love or be kind is a sign of weakness. What a miserable life that must be! Let’s celebrate what makes us humans and not bulldozers.
One last thing
On second thought, we must keep doing cautionary tales. Reading about what has happened in the past, might spare us some of the unhappy endings. I hope so.
What I’m reading
I wish to understand not the monster but the people who believe in the monster. We’ll see.
Thanks for reading!
I can see the sprouting seed of a beautiful book 💕