What has caused me the most heartache in my artistic life- and it's happened on more than one occasion- is discovering that someone to whom I've offered up my mind has taken advantage of that offering. I've discovered that kind of theft from afar, an act committed by someone whom I've never met, and it's awful. But it's a different brand of betrayal to discover such dishonesty in a person who looked me in the eye, whom I thought I had befriended, both on the personal and artistic level. I believe in a sharing of ideas. I believe in collaboration. I readily lend my mind to other people's projects, especially if it's done in the name of art-making. So it's odd, and disheartening, when a fellow artist exploits that goodwill. On good days, I try to learn something from moments like this: I resolve never to treat someone the way I have been treated. On bad days, I feel angry and small, and silenced. It's been a bad day. (mbw)
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