Time to Sense.

Tea: Chinese Melon Seed.

Music: Doobie Brothers, "Long Train Runnin'"

Time: Night.

I handed in not one, but two art reviews today. (One, I'd written before, but it vanished into the ether. So I rewrote it. I think it's better. I hope it's better.)

The common thread in each was that I told people to get out and look at the shows themselves, see what they could find, mine the exhibits for whatever meaning they can get. The most important thing, I wrote, was time -- time to look at things from different angles, time to go back and dig one layer deeper, time to

Maybe that makes me a lousy critic. Shouldn't I be telling people what's good and what's bad, and making sure they know the precise reason it works -- or doesn't?

Perhaps I could do that if I had years of experience and a long list of awards for my own stuff under my belt. I could look down, part with either a pat or a sneer, and congratulate myself on shaping the art world.

I know I've written this -- or something like it -- before. But to recap: Screw that.

People are capable of finding meaning, inspiration and beauty (in whatever form it takes) on their own. Is there pretentious crap out there? Absolutely -- in music, in visual art, in food, in theater. (Dear God, now I have "Ska-REWWWWWWWWWWWW-uh-TAY-puh") stuck in my head again.)

But people don't need critics to tell them whether something's good or bad. They have senses.

Can the senses be trained? Absolutely. That's what wine tasting and music appreciation classes are all about. Learning to appreciate quality has value.

Balanced against that, though, is the amazing phenomenon of individual taste -- the sum of the quirks, preferences and peeves that make us individuals. And how are you going to develop that if you rely on someone else to do it for you?

Bottom line: Sure, read reviews -- but with an eye toward making your own decisions. Then check things out for yourself, if you're interested in what's on offer. Give yourself time and an open mind, and see what happens.