No art is sunk in the self, but rather, in art the self becomes self-forgetful in order to meet the demands of the thing seen and the thing being made.
Interpretation
Art allows us to transcend our own identities and immerse ourselves in the creative process.
In this quote, Flannery O'Connor suggests that true artistic expression requires the artist to step outside of themselves and their personal concerns. Instead of being consumed by their ego, the artist engages deeply with their subject, allowing the act of creation to forge a connection between the observer and the work being produced, ultimately leading to a profound engagement with both the artwork and the external world.
In practice
In a discussion about the creative process, one might say, 'As Flannery O'Connor stated, no art is sunk in the self; through art, we can forget ourselves.'
Let me make no bones about it: I write from the standpoint of Christian orthodoxy. Nothing is more repulsive to me than the idea of myself setting up a little universe of my own choosing and propounding a little immoralistic message. I write with a solid belief in all the Christian dogmas.
What people donβt realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross.
If you live today, you breath in nihilism ... it's the gas you breathe. If I hadn't had the Church to fight it with or to tell me the necessity of fighting it, I would be the stinkingest logical positivist you ever saw right now.
There won't be any biographies of me because, for only one reason, lives spent between the house and the chicken yard do not make exciting copy.
Knowing who you are is good for one generation only. You haven't the foggiest idea where you stand now or who you are
He loved her because it was his nature to do so, but there were times when he could not endure her love for him. There were times when it became nothing but pure idiot mystery.
Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind.
Films that are entertainments give simple answers but I think that's ultimately more cynical, as it denies the viewer room to think. If there are more answers at the end, then surely it is a richer experience.
And I don't consider Broadway the acropolis of theatrical art. I mean Broadway is commercial - that's what it is. It's expensive seats and a lot of them that have to be filled every night. Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, as far as I'm concerned, is in New York the pride of New York theater.
The pointes for girls, I always say, have to be like an elephant's trunk; strong and yet flexible and soft.
The fault of bad taste is usually in over-dressing. Quality not effect, is the standard to seek for.
Until I was a teenager, I used red pokeberries for lipstick and a burnt matchstick for eyeliner. I used honeysuckle for perfume.
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