The Write Stuff: Alia Volz on Not Settling and Being Difficult to Manipulate
Posted By Evan Karp on Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 8:00 AM
The Write Stuff is a series of interview profiles conducted by Litseen, where authors give exclusive readings from their work.
What is art? Is it necessary? Why?
I used to worry that my writing wasn’t political enough, that by not focusing on current events, I wasn’t doing my job as an artist. But I’ve come to see all art as political. Even a simple artistic act, like drawing a daisy, is a kind of affirmation of individuality. A flexing of perspective. I think art makes us more difficult to manipulate. Especially these days, with the constant barrage of media manipulation, we need strong inner- worlds, muscular minds. It’s more necessary than ever.
I used to worry that my writing wasn’t political enough, that by not focusing on current events, I wasn’t doing my job as an artist. But I’ve come to see all art as political. Even a simple artistic act, like drawing a daisy, is a kind of affirmation of individuality. A flexing of perspective. I think art makes us more difficult to manipulate. Especially these days, with the constant barrage of media manipulation, we need strong inner- worlds, muscular minds. It’s more necessary than ever.
Alia Volz 