This article explores the intersection between the emotion of embarrassment and the creation of art. Because art usually depends on the presence of an audience, writers and performers regularly expose themselves to the possibility of negative evaluation, which is the basis of embarrassment. By looking at art through the lens of embarrassment, there are lessons to be gleaned about how and why artists produce their art.;Embarrassment intersects with the creation of art in four different ways: in the making of art, as material, in the delivery of art to the audience, and in the artist's judgement of his or her work. Although it is considered a negative emotion, this article examines how embarrassment can play a positive role in the life of an artist. For one, embarrassment encountered in life can be converted into jokes and anecdotes---there is a whole swathe of comedy nights dedicated to this trend, including Mortified and My Diary. It can also be a source of plot and character for fiction writers, being an emotion so interconnected with private and social values. Embarrassment can also lead to an artistic epiphany, as the example of Steve Martin proves.;However, the corrective and even oppressive elements of embarrassment should also be acknowledged, even if it is hard to measure creative expression that has been discarded out of fear of humiliation. Yet as the example of Paul McCartney illustrates, fear of embarrassment is not the recourse of an amateur or the error prone. At its root, embarrassment shows emotional investment, and demonstrates the artist's desire to affect the audience.
展开▼
