If I had some time, I’d try and find out where our “common sense” notions of art come from. Like art being subjective, which is taken to mean that it is something like a kaleidoscope where no two people can be sure to see the same thing in it and every statement about it is just based on fleeting, un-shareable impressions. Obviously that’s nonsense, but if you try debating people on the internet over whether something is well-written or if it negotiates a certain theme, they bring out clichés like this. Or the idea that art is produced by an individual in a semi-mystic, almost unconscious act which broods no further analysis or introspection – though just as often you see this as a strawman attributed to an author’s opponents. In any case, I assure you that no notable Romantic ever believed this and that the concept of “genius” has never meant this in any serious author. These are just common sense clichés that come from nowhere and are seemingly everywhere.
Content warning: Physical health (negative)
I’m undergoing a root canal treatment at the moment and it’s really painful, all in all. I’ve had the 3rd of 5 appointments today, my painkiller has worn off and I can only take one more today, so I’m just suffering mild, but absolutely constant and insistent pain. The worst is when I get a sort of nauseating flashback to the moment when the dentist bored into my nerve. Like, that’s not just a feeling of pain, there’s also the deep discomfort of getting a hole made in your skull. And I’ve never been good at distracting myself, so I’m really hoping everything just clears up by tomorrow.