And here is the other side of my art, any of my art--story, quilt, cookies, painting. Once I'm finished I release it. I'm no longer in control. The viewer/reader or person on the other side can, and, hopefully, does, come to my work with their own response. Their own interpretation. And that response and interpretation is as legitimate as mine. This is important to me for three reasons.

First, a response different than mine is interesting. By the time I let go of my art I've processed my thoughts and ideas and emotions for quite some time. I might even be a little tired of it. Hearing a new response, idea, or insight is very interesting. It's cool to see more in my work than I thought was there. Yes, please.

Second, I spent some years in a classroom teaching high school students about literature and writing. And many of them had no faith in their own ability to interact with literature. Any question about a work sent them to Google to find "the answer." "I can Google. I want to know what you think," I told them. But even a statement as direct as that didn't give many of them confidence. One student told me, "I didn't think the same as what any of the people in class said, so I didn't say anything." But that is exactly what makes art rich, hearing and sharing different ideas and perspectives. So the class missed out on this student's unique perspective. I don't want to go into how students reach this level of lack of confidence in their ability to respond to literature. What I do want to point out is that if a person doesn't believe their response to art is legitimate, why would they continue to interact with art? Why read? Why try poetry? Why look at visual art? Everyone can respond and interact with art. I want my art to be open to all responses. 

Finally, if people don't respond and interact with art, the art dies. I really don't have anything else to add here. Shared art is made as a conversation. It needs more than one person to thrive.