I’ve been pondering the quote below for a while– Guthrie is describing a beautiful collaboration that can happen with choral singing, a creative act that magnifies all involved, an act that makes something new and actually better than any individual contribution– a work of art. 

“…this chorus is a society whose life depends upon its members contributing their voices. The “submission” vital to music-making cannot mean silencing individual voices–or else the music will simply stop. Each member must contribute her voice, and each member must “make room” for other voices. The submission required for choral song cannot be imposed on the group by some of its members. If one voice persistently “enforces the rules”–insisting upon a particular tempo by drowning out the others, for instance–then there is a loss of ensemble. This personal insensitivity manifests itself in an ugliness that is both moral and aesthetic.

In song we learn and enact a kind of mutual submission in which we do not lose, but discover, our voices. This is a submission that is creative, that does not eliminate but opens up opportunities. Moreover, music manifests a mutual submission that is winsome and appealing rather than dull, oppressive, and burdensome.”

–Steven R. Guthrie

This felt important to me because it points to an idea that the beauty and artfulness of any creative effort is in a mutual submission, or generosity.

I see this play out in my practice of visual art. Making paintings doesn’t make sense… kind of generous by default– the investment of attention, energy, emotion, and materials is really an unreasonable devotion to the hope that someone might relate to it. Even more important I’m learning that a painting serves no “moral or aesthetic” purpose unless someone gives attention back to it (generosity). Real attention beyond “nice colors” or “cool tree” to a kind of emotional resonance that to me is what moves the painting from craft to a work of art.