I read part a post by someone who was interviewed for a newspaper article. When the article appeared, she was disappointed by the result. The writer had picked a totally different perspective that baffled the interviewee.
Oh, yeah, been there, done that. Media stories are written by people, people with their own agenda, their own take on things. You can try to control the outcome of an interview, and sometimes achieve some success. But when you are being interviewed, you must let go of the notion that writing the article is YOUR creative process. It isn't.
Trying to control what the media will say about you is called “spin”. In my humble opinion, spin is best left to those who have a lot invested in trying to manipulate the media.
The very first story that was written about me in a national magazine gave me a decided feminist slant and an extra child. I was dismayed at first...
But realized what came through in the story was the essence of my art, a story based on a powerful and personal connection to my touchstone. And that's what people would ultimately remember--not the details. Years from now, people who read that article will hopefully remember my artwork and the passion I brought to it, not how many children I had that year.
Another time, another artist and I collaborated on a project for an exhibit. We were interviewed for a prominent newspaper in our region. The collaboration had become rather strained; I found out my cohort’s proclaimed “extensive” experience with collaboration was based doing on group projects with children. Needless to say, I found early on MY input was to be minimal--and resented, to boot. By the time the reporter showed up, the proverbial shit had hit the proverbial fan. I was horrified as I listened to my fellow artist air our dirty laundry in front of a reporter writing a story to be read by 750,000 people that Sunday. All I could do was bite my tongue, refuse to rise to the bait, and focus on articulating my own artistic vision for the project.
Happily, the reporter was extremely savvy AND sensitive. Rather than go for the dirt, which she easily could have done, she went for a delicately nuanced piece on the difficulties and rewards of collaboration. I was overjoyed at the finished article. What came through was the power, intensity and individuality BOTH of us artists brought to the project, and the beauty of the finished piece.
Since then, I've learned to let go of the outcome of any published story about me, and simply enjoy the publicity. Writers are creative people in their own right, and need to find their own "hook" that invests them in their story. I've learned to respect that creative spirit in them, and hope for the best. So far, I've never been disappointed.
