Yelling

There are occasions when I'm compelled to let an art student know, "You're yelling." What I mean is that the student's work is presented in such a confrontational way... so over-the-top... with volume past 10... that it is similar to someone shouting.

When one yells, people might hear. They might even listen. Sometimes. But, if you continue to yell, there is also risk that people will tune you out. You might yell to get someone's attention, but once you've done that, you need to stop yelling and start talking. Start discussing. Start engaging.

My advice to the aforementioned art student: Draw-in the viewer. Grab the listener's attention. Without a doubt, make sure you are seen. But then, create space to move around. Allow room for dialogue. Let people remain with the work.

Typing in all caps. Highlighting the whole book. Sustained yelling. These tactics draw attention, but without without a breath or a sustained pause, we risk being ignored.