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When I'm working, I'm so narrowly focused on sound, language, rhythm, flow, that I rarely feel the emotion of the text. It's only after - long after - I've finished a piece that I can experience in any way its emotional charge.
Taiye Selasi
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The creative process can sometimes obscure the emotional depth of one's work until it is completed.

In this quote, Taiye Selasi reflects on the nature of her artistic process, emphasizing how her intense focus on the technical aspects of writing—like sound and rhythm—can detach her from the emotional resonance of her work. It is only once she steps away from the piece that she can truly appreciate the feelings and emotions embedded within it, highlighting a common experience among artists where the act of creation can lead to temporary disconnection from its emotional impact.

Themes

ArtEmotionCreativityWritingProcessLanguageFocus

In practice

Example use cases

An author might use this quote during a workshop about the writing process to encourage others about the journey of creating art.

More from Taiye Selasi

I read recently that the problem with stereotypes isn't that they are inaccurate, but that they're incomplete. And this captures perfectly what I think about contemporary African literature. The problem isn't that it's inaccurate, it's that it's incomplete.
Taiye SelasiRead
I write essays to clear my mind. I write fiction to open my heart.
Taiye SelasiRead

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