Call & Response

The Call: Eye Cannot Explain — Cheryl

It seems like a great deal of my life has been centered around explaining who I am or what I mean. Being understood was of the utmost importance to me. Now, it’s not. I once read something like, “If an artist could express himself in words, he wouldn’t need to paint.” I’ve decided that expressing oneself is the essence of art, but it has nothing to do with explaining.

This is a fascinating new way of looking at my work, at myself, and at my relationships with others. In college, I had to read a poem or novel and explain it. As a reporter, I had to interview a person and then explain him or her to my audience. My role as parent involves a great deal of explaining.

Perhaps I’m now comfortable calling myself an artist because I’ve finally learned that there are times when trying to explain is the worst thing one can do.