An (honest) appearance

We live in a culture that does not favour display of vulnerability and uncertainty - vulnerability and uncertainty are signs of weakness, and weakness is not a personal feature that has overwhelmingly positive impact on one's career prospects. Rather, it can be taken as an invitation to others that this is a person who is easily bullied.
But does it have to be that way? For is it not so that the one who tries to build up an unbreakable armour by radiating safety and invulnerability will make other people think that there must be something hidden somewhere? A weakness, which the person is overly eager not to put to display?
I think the best thing to do is simply to let other people know that I can also be vulnerable and insecure. If such cases are put on display, it becomes much more trustworthy when I appear to be robust in other situations - because I am able to show weakness.
Who knows - maybe one would even be able to hide the uncertainties that one is not interested in displaying in public?
(Translated from Et (ægte) ansigt udadtil, originally published October 12th, 2012)

In progress without a purpose

In an interview with the Danish author and poet Søren Ulrik Thomsen in the Danish weekly newspaper Weekendavisen on the day before Christmas Eve, I read a very nice passage (in my own, most likely inadequate, translation):

I find that when you write, you do not quite know what you're doing. If you knew what you wanted to say, there was no reason to write it, as it would have been there already.

I've pretty much heard it from Thomsen before: that there is something in the poem, which is not in the poet, but when it becomes drafted in the above manner - and even followed up with:

When the book as written, you are as the author also its first reader. Then, you can spot some contexts, which were not aware existed while writing.

- it is as if something falls into place for me. Maybe it actually would be better to write something where one does not quite know what one does, instead of always trying to be in full control of the purpose of writing? Maybe thereby, one could see some of the contexts one did not know existed before things got written down?
(Translated from I færd uden formål)