ungraspable
Many of us who make things come to believe that the work is a movement towards clarity. Towards stable definitions and unobstructed transmission. That the goal of every iteration is the removal of every obstacle that stands between the maker and their vision, between the audience and the idea. A lofty goal. A grand ideal. But ultimately, misguided and mistaken.
“You cannot fill in the vision”, Annie Dillard says, “You cannot even bring the vision to light”, and “You are wrong if you think you can”.
The vision is something feral and unruly. Something ethereal and transgressive. A trickster. A phantom. The ghost in the machine of our making. It cannot be caught, captured, or domesticated. No page, canvas, verse, or chorus can keep it from escaping.
The idea was never a destination. Was never a place of arrival. It’s a mirage of water on the horizon. Something real enough to reach towards but ungraspable. Cling to the idea too tightly, too rigidly, and it becomes a false god. An idol worshipped beyond what it can offer.
The only clarity we can count on as makers is that of the mystics. The clarity that comes from the cloud of unknowing. From walking deeper into the mystery. The place that eliminates the idea of the maker, the audience, and even the idea itself.
May you sit with the mystery without needing to resolve it.
May you find freedom in knowing that you know nothing.
May your work be stranger than the vision you meant to keep it in.
In case no one’s told you today, I love you with all my everything.
***special thanks to 🌸 Carolyn Jones 🌸
When I’m working on a body of photography, ideas often come and haunt me. I become obsessed with bringing them to life. But over the years I’ve learned to start by making a photo that represents the idea. Then, once I get that out of the way and out of my head, then and only then, can I open myself up to the mystical forces that move through me. The idea is only a starting point. The magic happens afterwards. Thank you for another insightful post. May those mystical forces move and speak through you. ✨✨✨
So, you're writing a book right?