I'm forever obsessing and second guessing myself during the process of putting together an exhibit and I was reminded of this when I was talking about Ann Hills' CD: Don't Panic (if anyone finds someone out there who sounds more like a young, clear voiced Judy Collins I'd like to hear about it)
In any case it's this CD that is so lovely on many levels that made me wonder how artists select which songs make the cut for inclusion and which get passed by.
On the other hand she includes another that just makes me hit "forward."
The whole "which get in and which lose out" process must be a little like visual artists putting paintings together for a show.
We want them to hang together to show a cohesiveness in our body of work, while at the same time we push our comfort level and explore areas that we're not so sure of.
It's like a sweet agony of deciding between children to include in an outing where they'll all reflect for better or worse on us.
Are we willing to show off the new one with the smooshed up old man face and head still misshapen from the birth process?
Are we still as accepting of the teen with pierced eyebrow?
Sure! We love them all and wish everyone could see them the way we do.
As artists we want to stretch. And maybe that's what leads us sometimes to pull an artistic muscle in including a project that's not quite the equal of the rest.
Everyone should be allowed one not quite so wonderful outcome every so often. But for the most part when it comes to this CD, it is stunningly lovely.
One of these days I'll share one of my playlists. In the meantime these are the philosophical music and art ponderings sifting through the artsy asylum. You in turn might be left wondering "what was she thinking?" at the choices of images I show in the Gallery.
