Divine Dissatisfaction

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At a time when Agnes de Mille was questioning her art, Martha Graham told her:

"...No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

I found this statement confusing at first. What could possibly be divine about dissatisfaction or blessed about unrest? Constant dissatisfaction seems like a curse! Why is it divine or blessed?

Graham suggests the answer. She says this divine dissatisfaction is what "keeps us marching," and she also suggests that that makes us more alive. I interpret this to mean something like: A completed work is never perfect, and this is wonderful, because the imperfection in it is exactly what compels us to do the next work.

I like this emphasis on process, and on the idea that an artist's own work (in the long run) is her best teacher. With art as with everything else worthwhile, it seems important to keep going and to keep learning as we go. If we're doing it "right," it's likely we'll be dissatisfied with some things we've done in the past. That's a good thing. That dissatisfaction is evidence that we're making progress.

(Note: The extended version of the Graham quotation is in this article. It's a thoughtful and inspiring few sentences about artistic process and responsibility, and definitely worth a read. And Kit H., thank you for bringing Martha Graham's comment to my attention.)