I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
The radio is playing jazz, and I listen to the sound of the trumpet playing a solo until I become that sound.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote conveys the deep connection between the listener and the music, illustrating how art can transform our experiences and emotions.
Joy Harjo's quote reflects the immersive experience of music, particularly jazz, where the listener transcends their own identity to fully embody the essence of the sound. The act of listening becomes an intimate dialogue between the musician and the audience, suggesting that art has the power to unite individuals in a shared moment of emotional resonance. It highlights how music can evoke profound feelings and foster a sense of oneness with the art form.
Themes
JazzMusicTrumpetArtEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
During a poetry reading, I shared this quote to illustrate the profound impact of music on our emotions.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes →It's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
Joy HarjoRead
A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
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You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
Joy HarjoRead
Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
Joy HarjoRead
I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Joy HarjoRead
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