Asymmetry & the Art of Generous Creation

"As an artist or writer, how do you compose a work that is generous? How do you place a group of rocks together in a garden, or branches, berries and blossoms together in an ikebana arrangement,-- or ideas and language on a page -- to invite real participation? The artist is giving a gift, I think, if she leaves some connections unfinished. Implied. The artist is giving a gift, I think, when the composition is multifaceted, offering a multitude of elements that combine in an abundance of ways. There's "space" for the viewer or reader -- to move around inside. While the Western ideal in art and writing has often, but not always, been that of the One Main Point -- unambiguous and decisive -- much of East Asian art and poetry reaches toward a different ideal. It does not force a particular interpretation, nor does it reveal all its secrets in a single viewing. The mind is refreshed and energized. And we feel invited to play." Author and writing instructor Andy Couturier shares more in this piece.

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