IN NEED OF APPRECIATION

 

Painting by my daughter Maitreyi

IN NEED OF APPRECIATION

“You can’t just write and write and put things in a drawer. They wither without the warm sun of someone else’s appreciation.”― Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Appreciation has tremendous power. A beautiful thing is not beautiful until someone appreciates it.”― Debasish Mridha

It all started when in the course of a conversation with a friend of many years I expressed, that I do feel demotivated, and a sense of disappointment when I find that the books I had written have not received the exposure they deserve in the public domain, he immediately looked at me and said-

“I find it strange to give comments in a public place, even when these are very appreciative ones, which as per the cliche, must be given publicly. Why? To encourage? No, I do not agree. you cannot encourage any creativity just by appreciating it publicly. You can only enjoy it post facto and hence, your appreciation of any creative work, is for your private personal consumption; you thereby wish to acknowledge to you and not to others or the author that you enjoyed that work of creation. Keep writing for the sake of expressing your creativity, your originality, and your special worldview; and all this for yourself.”

Another good friend of mine over the years called to tell me that she had at last purchased my book ‘I am just an Ordinary Man’ and finished it within two days. She said she liked it. But when I asked her to make a review and put it up on the site, she had only this to say, “I have known you for such a long time and could connect with a lot of what is written there, but it is not possible for me to write a review, for it could be a very biased view and therefore not an honest one.” I respected her viewpoint and did not pursue it, but still, I could not understand her logic.

I have often wondered why I keep asking people, mostly friends and close relatives whether they have read my books and if so, request them to write a review and post it on Amazon and similar sites from where they had purchased the book. I have done that every time I completed one and published it. Every time I write a post and put it in my blog, I share it on my social media and keep track of the number of views and comments posted. Suffice it to say that my blog has registered more than 100,000 views from 300 posts in the last 10 years since I became active with my writing.  And to be truthful it has given me immense satisfaction and ego fulfillment. But is this what I write for? 

I have asked myself this question many times and have not been able to answer it. Is it because I want to get across to others so that I am understood as to what I am, or because I am trying to understand more about myself? Is it because I am seeking recognition and adulation or want to be a commercial success? It could be a combination of all these. But I know one thing, I write because I like it. I also like it when someone says that they like what I write. I accept the truth that the integrity of any writing or for that matter any art form stems from an honest exposition of one’s own feelings. There is definitely a dilution in your expressions when you cater to commercial considerations. When a reader/ reviewer says that his appreciation is for his own private consumption and hence does not believe in putting it up in a public space, I cannot question, for this is an individual choice. But for me the creator it is my expectation that my creation reaches a wide audience, for there is a joy in sharing, a satisfaction of a need to be understood, and a need for adulation. This is especially true of any creation that is put up in the public domain for consumption. 

I came across a quote of Marcel Duchamp that puts the role of appreciation of a creative work in the right perspective -

“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.”

All great works of Art or literature would have remained undiscovered if they had not received the patronage or appreciation of a vast majority of the spectators. The great sculptures and the paintings of Michelangelo would not have been possible but for the patronage of the church. Or take the case of Van Gogh, his paintings would not have been available to us if not for the efforts of his brother Theo. Though, during his lifetime Van Gogh never sold a painting it was left to Theo to bring it out and let the world discover him. Yes, both Michelangelo and Van Gogh created out of the intense passion by which they were consumed. So is it true of Music and literature. I would not have read all the books that I have if I had not found them in the public domain. Whether I liked them or not is an individual preference. 

It was in this context that I asked my daughter (she is an artist herself in her own right and has been an experimenter in various art forms from Surrealism to the abstract) if appreciation is a personal thing, a one-is-to-one event and something that does not need to be done on the public domain? Isn’t it enough to create and find an avenue for your passions and be content and fulfilled with the end product? I reproduce below the response that I received from her -

 “Art is a form of expression, not just contemplation. The reason it is shared with the world is the same as the reason you start conversations. To connect with the people who may resonate with you. Therefore appreciation and feedback, even a critical one... anything that starts a dialogue is most welcome. Anything that says that you were seen or heard by someone who wishes to engage with you. Otherwise, all the words could go unwritten and all the images can remain in the recesses of your mind without being brought out on the canvas. Not everyone finds the comfort in direct conversations and not everyone finds people who can hold conversations in the metaphors or imagery that they are comfortable with in their immediate circle. That is why they reach out into the world through art. That is why art is called a form of expression. Saying an artist becomes great when they stop looking for engagement is untrue. The art may become great but the artist stays miserable for lack of connection.”

Lastly, I have to add that despite all those assertions of creating for one’s own passion and fulfillment which I have been trying to convince myself of, I have to admit that being appreciated is an important emotional need of the creator. It is a motivation that he looks for to help him on his journey of creation.