Blog #8: Questions for Derek McCormack

 1.  In your ArtForum Review on Thierry Mugler's fashion works there is a discussion of ideas that people often avoid like fetishes, paraphilia and the use of terms that people usually avoid in writing. How do you not hold back in your writing and feel comfortable to talk in your own voice about subjects that are usually deemed inappropriate and controversial?

2.  Is there something in particular you want audience members to takeaway from your writing, whether it be a laugh, a new understanding of a work, entertainment, etc.?

3. Can emerging writers get their foot in the door through writing in experimental ways or does a new writer have to follow traditional conventions to be taken seriously by editors, and then once they have a name for themselves begin to write more freely?

4.  I really enjoyed your interview with Vincent Fecteau. It was playful, funny and I admire how you are both able to laugh at your work and not take it all too seriously. You say, "I go into them talking about sh*t no one cares about, maybe except me." How does one adopt a similar attitude about their own work? What motivates you to keep writing when it may not be for a wide audience? 

5. Have you ever faced criticism on your writing? How do you handle differing opinions or pushback on your work?