The Mutual Exchange of Artistic Expression

I believe that we are all artists. We are all working to perfect or improve upon a particular art. For some it is the art of persuasion, for others – the art of public speaking. For me it is my writing and sometimes even dancing. Whatever your art may be – you work at it in order to make others feel a certain way when they interact with it.

We put tireless hours into a presentation or a particular work with the intention of generating a particular feeling. When I write, I hope that I am able to craft the words in such a way that gracefully inspires my readers to pursue their personal desires. The interesting thing about art, in any form, is that what the consumer of the piece feels or interprets could be so far off from that which the artist originally intended.

I once choreographed a pole fitness routine to American Oxygen by Rihanna (see video below). It was during the fall of 2015. My Alma Mater, The University of Missouri, was under the nation’s watch as students fought to eradicate policies that perpetuated systematic oppression towards minority students. My piece was a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was designed to evoke emotion and shed light on the unfortunate irony of black and brown humans’ inability to breathe in this nation.

I created the piece and could only hope that the message would resonate with my audience. I was afraid to use this medium to express my hurt and was even more afraid of how it would be received at a competition that took place in the capital of Texas. I made my way to the competition and performed a piece that I still believe could have used minor improvements. “It’s not done – it’s missing something.” I would say to myself.

The truth is, our works of art are never complete. We are constantly improving, constantly adding and subtracting artistic elements. Although I performed a piece that I believe to be incomplete, I felt a sort of freedom when I took my final bow. The audience had received my performance whether they liked it or not and they could not deny the message that lie behind the movements. They had interacted with me and seen an intimate portion of my mind and I believe that each member of the audience had a unique reaction to that 3-minute experience. Each of those reactions helped bring the piece full-circle and added to the completeness of that work. It turns out the piece was simply missing an audience.

Perhaps you’ve been working on something, too. Maybe you’re waiting on the perfect time to share your work. Perhaps you’re afraid of how others will react to what you have to offer. I want to encourage you to share your work. Keep creating. The world needs whatever it is that you have to offer and who knows, maybe your piece of work just needs a bit of human reaction in order to be complete.