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Look at Both Sides Now… like Joni Does
by Lynda Pogue
How, if you’re deeply entrenched in a piece of art, can you see more than what’s right in front of you? How do you step back
when you’re in the middle of something and not only see the Big Picture but also the minute details too?
You can train yourself to pay attention and absorb the possible influences that surround you…you can learn to de-center, which
is the ability to suspend one’s way of thinking while encompassing another. It’s akin to being in the middle of a passionate argument…
absolutely vehement about your position… then, like a blast of flashing white light you clearly see the other person’s
point of view. It’s not an illusion… you really are seeing both sides now. The clarity and intensity that this moment brings is
extremely fulfilling. It can bring new dimensions and possibilities to your personal and professional life.
This article will explore the richness that will come to you by considering your work from different perspectives. To do this I’ll
draw on the expressions from and musings about a woman that the whole world intimately refers to simply as Joni. All the italics
are the words of Joni Mitchell.
Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way
But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all
…circle of hope by Lynda Pogue.
Look closely at this textured
piece and you’ll see ice cream
castles in the air.
These lyrics are likely to be the most well-known words from Joni’s most famous song: Both Sides Now. She told Russ Mitchell
(CBS, 2007) that, at first, she thought this song was a failure because it was such a big meditation. She had only seen it from
one direction as a folk artist and not from any other point of view. Joni has moved far far beyond this singularity of perception.
She had unwittingly incited a myriad of reactions from millions of people… some responded to her words as if they were pure
poetry and millions more were visualizing flying above the Rows and flows of angel hair clouds. Her songs were painting the
canvas in the minds of her listeners. Annie Lennox has said that the poetic genius of Joni’s lyrical imagery tangled with her brain,
and she was challenged to try to follow suit.
When being interviewed by Tavis Smiley (PBS, 2007) Joni stressed that she found being put on a pedestal has made her become
more demanding of herself. That fame has made her go deeper with greater honesty. Because she feels that her work
makes people feel… it isn’t vague, fluffy or insipid. Truer words were never spoken.
Her lyrics conjure up images that take you for an emotional and evocative ride because she’s both accessible yet experimental.
You’re never quite sure what to expect but you want to be with her on her journey. It’s that world of edginess in which Joni dwells.
She’s a renaissance woman who revels in the world of all the arts: an accomplished musician, songwriter, poet, photographer
and painter. Over the years she has evolved from silky and sweet to husky and fiercely forceful… there’s now a growl in her
lower register. Listening to her talk, you know exactly where she stands on any issue. Hearing her sing causes one to stop
and ponder. Viewing her art takes you into her personal inner space… she says that in this part of her world she is absolutely
vulnerable.
Last January she reminded Charlie Rose (PBS) that she’s often been quoted as saying I paint my joy and I sing my sorrow…
but now she feels that she’s grown into a different style of expression where she now paints and sings a spectrum of feelings.
Her antenna is up. And it’s her concept of spectrum/variety/range that sets a standard for other artists and entrepreneurs. One’s
work can take on a one-dimensional aspect if it’s always the same the same the same… however, by paying attention to the
genius of someone like Joni Mitchell one can be inspired to take an expansive and integrative approach to raise the bar and
create a masterwork.
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