The fertility of artistic expression as a two-way offering: releasing the prolific self

Encountering art well invites inquiry, resonance, release and self-formation. It is common for people to talk and write about the gift an artist gives to an audience by sharing one’s art. I refer to this gift as an offering. It is, however, uncommon for people to talk and write about the offering an audience gives to an artist. The fertility of artistic expression involves a two-way offering of reciprocity between artist and audience; the language of art is incomplete without the presence of conversation. Giving an artist an actively present and attentive audience is one of the most generous, and often most transformative, of offerings one can give. The need to watch well and be watched well is a core human need. At times, watching one another well involves watching one another’s art well. This thesis explores the fertility of artistic expression confronting a diagnosis of infertility.