I never quite know what I’m going to write until I write it – and then I’m not sure where it came from
Jerry Saltz, How to be an Artist
I’ve been revisiting, rereading, and revising things I wrote and made in The Before Times. I don’t recognize half of it. I don’t always remember the time when I wrote it. I don’t often know where the words came from. Sometimes, I google sentences I wrote to make sure I didn’t plagiarize anything. I’m not always convinced by that either.
I don’t think that making art in any form is magic but there is something not quite right about how things come together sometimes. It can come together in surprising ways, for real. It can come out in ways which are astonishing or even shocking.
Is it the work of The Muses? Is it the byproduct of hard work and good timing?
Does it really matter?
This can be thrilling. It can also be unsettling… Don’t let this creep you out. Instead, learn to trust it.
Jerry Saltz, How to be an Artist