Moods The other side TEXT Sophie Fontanel Make sure you’re always on the other side—by which I mean also on the other side. Don’t listen to those who insist you should take sides; as you know, a side is only one side. Cultivate uncertainty, which is synonymous with freedom, and also gentleness—put your hands over your ears when people tell you that gentleness is a weakness. Carry on being unsure; it’s better than being a safe bet. Read books by people whose opinions you don’t share; read Paul Morand’s Journal inutile and recognize its limitations; try to understand arguments that antagonize you, even if you take pride in being on the right side, and are wise to be so. Take me (you never know, the example might be instructive): I live my life on both sides. In my case, it revolves around literature. I’m puzzling to people, because I write novels while cultivating a passion for the trivial world of fashion. I have carved out my career in both worlds, without ever once taking either milieu seriously. As a novelist, I look at fashion as if it were made out of words. As a fashion critic, I look at the literary world through its style, and not just for the clothing (far from it!). This path that I have chosen to follow makes everything more difficult; I can’t seek refuge in the safety of a single world, and it is an uphill struggle for me to gain recognition from my peers. But in the end, by dint of being different, you manage to invent something new. All my life I have lived on the other side, and I have learned something very simple that should have been blindingly obvious: on the other side, you get a better view. That’s what being an artist is about. Life has opened my eyes to that. 30