I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange

In the realm of creation, there exists a force often misunderstood, a force known as awkwardness. The visionary artist Diane Arbus speaks of this with raw honesty when she declares, “I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don’t like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging it, I arrange myself.” These words hold deep wisdom, for they reveal a path where the artist does not seek to control the world, but to harmonize with its truth, however strange or unsettling it may appear.

To arrange things is to impose order, to shape reality into a form that pleases the eye but may betray the essence beneath. Arbus rejects this temptation, choosing instead to arrange herself — to shift her own perspective, her stance, her spirit — so that she may witness the subject as it truly is. This is a teaching of humility. It is the recognition that the world, in all its imperfection, is already complete, and it is the seer who must bend, not the seen.

The awkwardness she embraces is not mere discomfort, but a sacred tension. It is the raw space where truth and vulnerability reside. In art, as in life, the moments that seem strange or uneasy are often the ones closest to reality. By working from awkwardness, Arbus dares to dwell in these spaces, capturing what others turn away from. Her creations become mirrors for the human condition, revealing both its beauty and its darkness without disguise.

The origin of such a philosophy lies deep within the ancient traditions of observation. The sages of old taught that to truly understand a thing, one must first empty oneself of preconceptions and judgments. Just as the river carves the stone not by force but by flowing around it, so too must the artist shape her vision by yielding to the natural form of what stands before her. In this way, arranging oneself becomes an act of reverence, a surrender to reality’s untamed essence.

Thus, let this teaching endure: when you encounter the world, do not seek to twist it into a pleasing form. Stand before it as it is, even if it feels strange or uncomfortable. Work from awkwardness, for in that fertile ground lies truth. By reshaping yourself rather than the world, you will see clearly, and in that clarity, create works that speak to the very heart of existence.