that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all
of time, this expression is unique. And if
you block it, it will never exist through any
other medium and it will be lost.
The world will not have it.
— Martha Graham
"Graham is speaking here of the necessity of honoring your individuality, your specificity, the essence of who you are. Don't fear your eccentricity or oddness, she counsels. Embrace it.
"Moreover, it is only by being attentive to your own vitality and distinct energy, examining and understanding the underpinnings of your thoughts and actions — another sort of mindfulness — that you will be able to bring your perspective forward. Without this attention, the poems you were meant to write will never be written.
"Graham composed in a different medium. She was a modern dance choreographer, a pioneer of a new art form. Instead of words on the page, she used movement and the human body to craft her message. Still, her doubts about her own work, her painful insecurity, would be familiar to any writer.
"Listen to what she had to say about those moments:
"It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions.
"It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."
