Asymmetry & the Art of Generous Creation

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March 6, 2023

a project of ServiceSpace

The generous piece of writing, the asymmetrical piece of writing, doesn't boss you or pull you; it creates many emptinesses, fills them in partly, inconclusively at times, and creates them again.

- Andy Couturier -

Asymmetry & the Art of Generous Creation

"As an artist or writer, how do you compose a work that is generous? How do you place a group of rocks together in a garden, or branches, berries and blossoms together in an ikebana arrangement,-- or ideas and language on a page -- to invite real participation? The artist is giving a gift, I think, if she leaves some connections unfinished. Implied. The artist is giving a gift, I think, when the composition is multifaceted, offering a multitude of elements that combine in an abundance of ways. There's "space" for the viewer or reader -- to move around inside. While the Western ideal in art and writing has often, but not always, been that of the One Main Point -- unambiguous and decisive -- much of East Asian art and poetry reaches toward a different ideal. It does not force a particular interpretation, nor does it reveal all its secrets in a single viewing. The mind is refreshed and energized. And we feel invited to play." Author and writing instructor Andy Couturier shares more in this piece. { read more }

Be The Change

Join a special 2.5 hour workshop this week with Andy on, "Asymmetrical Writing: A More Generous Way to Write." More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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