I want work that, possessing as thin a membrane as possible between life and art, foregrounds the question of how the writer solves being alive.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the desire for art that closely reflects the complexities of real life, emphasizing the writer's struggle with existence.
David Shields highlights the intricate relationship between art and life, suggesting that true artistic expression should minimize barriers between the two. The quote reflects a philosophical inquiry into how writers navigate their experiences of being alive, prompting deeper reflections on the nature of creativity and existence.
In practice
In a panel discussion on contemporary literature, one might quote this to highlight the importance of authenticity in writing.
I'm interested in non-fiction, but a form of it which is very badly behaved, which doesn't define itself as straight-ahead journalism or memoir. It blurs boundaries, plays fast and loose with the truth - not to be silly, whimsical or lazy, but to get greater purchase on what it feels like to be alive.
My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start a book about them. Then, they become so real to me I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands.
I've always thought one of the tricks of being an actor for a long time is keeping yourself interested once you've figured out how to pay the rent.
What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts, plastic at the same time as psychic, and pervades both the picture and the eye of the spectator with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.
The listener must be gripped and whether he likes it or not, drawn into the flight path of the sounds without special training being necessary. The sensual shock must be just as forceful as when one hears a clap of thunder or looks into a bottomless abyss
Your best work is your expression of yourself.
The picture is all he feels about it, all he thinks worth preserving of it, all he invests it with. If all the qualities which a painter took from the model for his picture were really taken, no person could be painted twice.
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