One of the glories and terrors of working in public is that you do see if your output means anything to anyone.
Interpretation
Public work has the power to impact others, revealing both its value and the pressure of its reception.
In this quote, Jenny Holzer highlights the dual nature of creating art or work that is presented to the public. It serves as both a source of pride and anxiety, as the creator becomes acutely aware of the influence their work can have on others, which can be both a glorious affirmation of purpose and a terrifying vulnerability to criticism or indifference.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire artists during an exhibition opening.
BY YOUR RESPONSE TO DANGER IT IS_x000D_ EASY TO TELL HOW YOU HAVE LIVED _x000D_ AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO YOU._x000D_ YOU SHOW WHETHER YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE,_x000D_ WHETHER YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO,_x000D_ AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE_x000D_ IT'S ANY GOOD TO ACT.
The most extraordinary thing about writing is that when you've struck the right vein, tiredness goes. It must be an effort, thinking wrong.
It's weird what can trigger the beginning of a song or some bars. It can be a banging slice of apple pie or it can be smelling a certain perfume or something.
True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I'll share the formula I learned while forging my way forward as a full-time painter for forty-four years. The steps all break down to one simple sentence: Make art that connects with enough folks for you to earn a splendid living.
There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. The writer who has to go into the streets is a writer who does not know the streets. . . when you leave your typewriter you leave your machine gun and the rats come pouring through.
At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant.
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