Notes on Intentions in Art and Elsewhere

Bukowski was right when he said that most poets suck, because, to paraphrase: they hide behind too many metaphors (recycled, and not of their own creation), and therefore can't write a simple sentence like "The man walks the dog" :)

They have no faith in the Artist's gift for direct expression: the power of simple words.

And perhaps this is so because their intention -- to be"Recognized as an Artist" -- outstrips their actual talent. For, alas, it is a vanity of the self-concerned, to consider Intention as existentially equivalent to Action, and in 'sublime' (effete), meta-vanity cases -- Intentions are all that matter.

And when it is accepted that intentions are all that matter, it becomes imperative to Not measure, or even seriously feed-back results. Talk about, yes (talk is cheap) -- but never actually require.

Because measurement would introduce a certain Rudeness, in that it's requirement implies Intentions are not sufficient in themselves.

Yet so obvious a vanity could never be mistaken for anything else, without the cloak of Metaphor, usually derivative, recycled, and always flattering (preferably indirectly) to it's advocate.

In order to preserve the primacy of Intention, some selective ignorance is required.

Metaphors are appreciated because their indirection lightens the load -- for it takes much effort to ignore what you deeply suspect :)