A couple of weeks ago, I heard a
NPR radio broadcast about drawing. The interviewer talks about how as children, around the world, in every culture, we draw. Drawing is one of those universal things, but eventually as language becomes our primary means of communication, drawing becomes overtaken by words.
Yesterday at meta's going away drawing hour party, I saw honeyfield's sketchbook and notebook, with which she had brought with the intention of drawing. What I found so intriguing about it was that the notes were illustrated. An arrow wasn't simply 3 lines, but it was hollow, and it had curves, and it still managed to be an arrow. A picture is a means of communicating when words are inadequate. And yet drawing and language are all part of the same thing -- our universal desire for understanding.
Everyone needs to be understood. As human beings, we all express our need for understanding in different ways -- some use paints and oils, some use clays or metal, others use music and sound, but more commonly, we use words, which is the medium that I am using to communicate my thoughts on understanding. As with any form of expression, words can also be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
As I struggle with the words to explain this concept and the relations contained within, my words fail me.
To put it simply: To be human is to be able to express our desires to be understood, as well as our desire to understand the world around us.
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