I was taking my daily walk today and thinking about a comment that Mr. Write made on my blog yesterday. He said that people want art that either takes them down into depression or lifts them up to soaring heights. I call this emotive art.
When I was a few years younger, I used to listen to very emotive music - Jeff Buckley, Tori Amos, Elliot Smith - or what my husband calls "sad bastard music."
I was talking with someone the other day who also listens to music like this and wondering where my penchant for emotive music had gone. Now, I prefer more mellow sounds.
Is this a function of getting older or years of therapy?
I can't say, but it seems that most art critics have a prejudice toward sad pieces. I hope to combat this with my writing. I still want my pieces to be emotive, but I'd rather evoke happy emotions. Do you think art has to be sad to be good?
The great impressionist painter Monet inspired the world with beautiful color and calm. Certainly, a great writer can inspire the world to triumph over voices of despair. I definitely prefer the sunshine over the clouds!
ReplyDeleteActually, music can affect the brain in various ways. If we listen to the same songs we've heard a hundred times, the connections in our brain respond differently than if we bathe it in music that is new to us. So spend a weekend with calm, mellow music you've never heard before and see how you feel.
ReplyDeleteI think Skye is right about different stimuli affecting our feelings and, as a consequence, our writing. Think about it--- a soothing touch, a warm bath, a glass of wine---our sensory experiences are all sources of stimuli for our next great work.
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