Editorial
To be an artist
Poems
Just
Like You
flower
of the night
Round
Table Talk
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Novel
Adonis
Blue (6)
Adonis
Blue (7)
Relay
Writing
Cafe
Evergreen
To be an artist
I often think that I wasn't born to be an artist or creator who can create something from scratch. Artists, generally speaking, come up with wild imagination which impresses or perplexes ordinary people, but my writing pieces or other works often have reasonable logic.
People can be divided into those who have more developed right brains responsible for sensory functions, than those of the left responsible for language and reason function, and vice versa. For me, my left brain definitely reigns. In fact, during my involvement in Melange, I've enjoyed myself with editing rather than being an author. I'm no artist, but just one who embraces the feelings of language.
While studying in a foreign country in a second language, I've come to think that language means a lot: language usage may indicate one's level of intellectuality. Some people's intellectual abilities may not be appreciated, simply because they are not proficient in their second languages like English.
Or, it could carry
more messages than its exact definition. While they understand a large
extent of what you want to tell them by gestures, people also get many
connotations and subtle nuances from your words other than the literal
meanings of the words.
The connotative part of language is the hardest for second language learners like me to acquire: it comes from classic literature or popular songs or what's on TV or cinema or ads and other everyday stuff shared by a common culture.
Language acquisition
is not only achieved by memorising, but more - in order to 'feel' something
behind. I can't tell you well because it's too obscure to grasp the whole
picture. What a profound world of language!
It's been a hardship to translate my Japanese novel into English: it's not only written in Japanese, but each word altogether forms a distinct ambience. My Japanese words tell more than the literal meanings but I've been at a loss how I can put them into English because I haven't attained the level of English enough to fully catch vibes of English words.
But I believe some
barriers are conquerable to some extent with efforts for better English
knowledge and relevant translation to make a 'replica' though perfection
is impossible.
Ultimately, I'm not a born artist, but I've become a writer here in Melange. One says, 'What makes a good writer a good writer is the desire to be a good writer - working everlastingly at it. The only way to learn to write is by writing'.
Magazine Melange
is about to end, but I'll be a writer in some way. To be an artist, get
yourself involved.
I'm
grateful to all of you,
Megumi Kanie
as Meg Grace
