Daily Nourishment for August 26, 2024: Figuring It Out with Lauren Winner
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 50 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
Interviewer: What is art for?
Kara Walker: Figuring it out.
Pause.
For one minute, gaze at this 1970 portrait of Martha Mitchell, and allow Mitchell to gaze at you. What does your face do in response to her gaze? (I find myself beginning to smile.) What begins to happen between you and her as you look at one another?
Prompt.
Kate Clarke Lemay was the curator for the National Portrait Gallery’s 2022 exhibit Watergate: Portraiture and Intrigue, in which the portrait of Mitchell appeared.
In an interview about her work as a curator and art historian, Lemay was asked “What are five words that come to mind when you think about the idea of living an artful life?”
She said: “Openness, motivation, curiosity, discipline, and time.
….I think two of the words go together: openness and time. Often I have my best ideas when I have the space and time to open up, observe the world, and make connections…. My creative brainstorming happens best when I have time and space to listen to my hunches — those little voices in the corner of my mind that all too often get squashed out by everyday responsibilities.”
How do you respond to Lemay’s insights into an artful life? (Yesterday, they made me feel irritated and stressed. Today they make me feel curious and hopeful.) Write in response for five minutes.
Practice.
Lemay (whom we’ll hear from again tomorrow) also said: “When has art made me stop in my tracks? When have I really felt moved, and why was that?”
How do you respond to those questions? Write for eight minutes.
Want More?
Read ‘They called her crazy’: Watergate whistleblower finally gets her due
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The August Co-Writing Schedule is live.
—Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th. Recordings will be available if you can’t join us live. You can register here.
—August 31— Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Lauren Winner.
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