don't cut away from the emotion

I wrote on my calendar today, “Don’t cut away from the feeling.”

I saw a similar phrase originally in the title of YouTube fan video discussing the last scene of Call Me By Your Name, when Elio stares into the camera for one long cut, tears welling, as Surfjan Stevens’s song “Visions of Gideon” plays and the credits roll. And while the scene in the movie is powerful, I think the point is important in a greater context.

First, in art.

Emotion is where the good stuff is.

In every type of art.

We can feel an emotional reaction to a painting or sculpture or even a garden. I tend to pay more attention to the written word, but I think what I’m saying applies to any creative endeavor that we share. When we watch a movie, we want to feel something. When we draw a picture, we want the audience to experience something. I listened to Jeff Koons’s Master. Class recently, and it was striking to me how much he talked about a viewer experience and the emotion he wanted to provoke in the person experiencing the art.

Of course this happens with music, too. (I’m currently listening to “Two Men in Love” by The Irrepressibles, which I think packs an emotional wallop—at least as far as what I’m writing today.)

In my world, the world of voracious reader and avid writer, I read for emotion, whether it’s romance or adventure or terror. I want to fall in love, be thrilled and excited. I want to be moved.

And when I write, leaning into that emotion can be scary if it’s a scary emotion. But I’ve learned that’s where the good stuff is.

I’ve also learned that’s where the good stuff is in real life, too. I’ve written before about being scared of emotions.

But over and over again, I think it’s the only way to go. We make so many decisions based on emotions, and that can be criticized. “Oh, he made an emotional decision,” meaning one not based in logic.

I think, though, if you’re aware that you’re doing it—and if you take the time to look at the logical rationale, too—making a decision based on your gut can be a good thing. I tend to do that. I fumble around in these blog posts until something feels right.

(For what it’s worth, this blog post started as a recitation of my five favorite movies, but then I decided that was too self-indulgent. Writing about this topic just felt better.)

All I want to say today is if you are creating something, go for the emotional resonance. And if you’re experiencing something—a movie, a song, a book—enjoy the emotions it provokes. That’s what it’s supposed to do.