One of the glories and terrors of working in public is that you do see if your output means anything to anyone.
Interpretation
Public work has the power to impact others, revealing both its value and the pressure of its reception.
In this quote, Jenny Holzer highlights the dual nature of creating art or work that is presented to the public. It serves as both a source of pride and anxiety, as the creator becomes acutely aware of the influence their work can have on others, which can be both a glorious affirmation of purpose and a terrifying vulnerability to criticism or indifference.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire artists during an exhibition opening.
BY YOUR RESPONSE TO DANGER IT IS_x000D_ EASY TO TELL HOW YOU HAVE LIVED _x000D_ AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO YOU._x000D_ YOU SHOW WHETHER YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE,_x000D_ WHETHER YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO,_x000D_ AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE_x000D_ IT'S ANY GOOD TO ACT.
Art is violent. To be decisive is violent. ... To place a chair at a partial angle on the stage destroys every other possible choice, every other option.
As an actor, you are always looking for roles that will challenge you, and when I came upon Aung San Suu Kyi, it wasn't just about that but also about stepping into the shoes of someone who means so much to millions of people.
I'm an artist. Artists don't need permission to work. Regardless of whether I'm acting or not, I write. I write when I'm tired in fact, because I believe your most pure thoughts surface.
Supreme serenity still remains the Ideal of great Art. The shapes and transitory forms of life are but stages toward this Ideal, which Christ's religion illuminates with His divine light.
She could walk through a lightning storm without being touched; grab a bolt of lightning in the palm of her hand; use the heat of lightning to start the kindling going under her medicine pot. She turned the moon into salve, the stars into swaddling cloth, and healed the wounds of every creature walking up on two or down on four.
Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass.
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