Jul/Aug 1926 (undated?) – I shall here write the first pages of the greatest book in the world. This is what the book would be that was made entirely solely and with integrity of one’s thoughts. Suppose one could catch them before they became”works of art”? Catch them hot and sudden as they rise in the mind – walking up Asheham Hill for instance. Of course one cannot, for the process of language is slow and deluding. One must stop to find a word. Then, there is the form of the sentence, soliciting one to fill it.
How can we this apply this idea to our own work? What might we change if we viewed our practice as an act of capturing “hot and sudden” thoughts instead of “works of art”? Do we view our practice as making works of art now? What is the most immediate method for capturing our thoughts, and how might we convey those thoughts in a manner reflective of how they first occurred to use?
Here are some possible answers, though I encourage you to think of your own:
- As Virginia implies here, this goal is impossible but it can be used as a north star that we constantly pursue.
- This goal is impossible, so it is instead best to have your work resemble hot and sudden thoughts, in the same way that written dialogue imitates but does not replicate actual conversations.
- This line of thinking is best interpreted literally, meaning that you should draw or write as quickly as possible and without a filter.
- This line of thinking is best interpreted literally, meaning that you should draw or write in a way that most closely reflects the way you think, even if this makes your work less immediately coherent.
17 Mar 1930 – The test of a book (to a writer) is if it makes a space in which, quite naturally, you can say what you want to say.
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Rusty Brown, Chris Ware — Do you remember any Lint interviews at the time having anything to say about, or even mentioning, that the character thinks about sex in his dying moments?? I don’t. It certainly feels like something that could be deconstructed. Also, I was underwhelmed by the new section.
Did You See Me?, Sophia Foster-Dimino
Happy Families, Ida Applebroog
Janus, Lala Albert (reread)
The Zabime Sisters, Aristophane
Le Sommeil du Monstre, Enki Bilal
The Hot Breath of War, Trevor Alixopulos (reread)
Gus and His Gang, Christophe Blain (reread)
Blotch, Blutch
Waiting for Ariel, Daryl Seitchik
Cusp, Tom Herpich (reread)
Gongwanadon, Tom Herpich (reread)