𦤠What Does The Uncaged Birdâs Song Mean?
Building off yesterdayâs post.
People ask artists âwhat does it mean?â about their work.
But hereâs the thing: it doesnât matter.
It does not matter what the totem / amulet / spell means to the creator (words intentionally chosen to go beyond medium or genre and focus on the import and impact the work can have). It matters what it means to the receiverâthe experiencer.
Sharing a thing laden with meaning is akin to gift giving. Once passed, control is released.
A gift that has to be overexplained or continually reframed in terms of your intention is a bad gift. And the fault is with the giver.
Total control (or near total, at least) exists only before you release your thing into the world as a living, breathing entity. Once allowed to fly free, itâs its own bird.
If you created an albatross but itâs actually a dodo. Thatâs on you.
The work of maintaining the accuracy and veracity of the story remains. But this act is now in service of the receiver. Not your ego.
On the flip side, you canât let this prevent you from releasing your bird. Eventually you have to find out if itâs an eagle or a turkey (and maybe the one you want is not the one you expect). Otherwise all you have is a hobby and a dream (nothing wrong with either, as long as the distinction is intentional).