The Art of Asking

I have recently finished reading Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking . Wow. I am inspired by her book, by her TED talk above, by her insistence that art is truly communication between the artist and the audience in a truly personal manner.

I identify with her street performances, and, although busking is not 'Performance Art' per se, it shares much in common with it. The most striking is the interaction, generally one-on-one with the people who are listening. As I have mentioned in this blog many times, children dance, woman tell us that we made their day, men throw a $5 or $10 into the bucket for a song or two before moving on.

People want to identify with others. They want to know that someone 'gets it'. And although many people walk by without the slightest sign that they even know you are there, you sometimes see them down the street, straining to get a good look at you without your notice....

Now, I am aware that she wrote the book about building your relationship with your audience, but what I took away from the book was thoughts about the spiritual side of art. The communication, the fact that people are willing, very willing, to give and take with the artist, to make an connection. Reflecting life back to the audience, maybe for comfort, maybe for clarification, but always for connection.