I'm not sure why I've been so intrigued by people of
astute creativity lately, but could ya blame me? Something about their minds.
The free thinking, obsessive and completely enraptured thought process
intrigues me. I like to think of myself as consumed, but not fully. The people
who are fully consumed with a craft are often viewed as odd, weird, unusual, or
some other litany of estranged adjectives.
I was recently watching Almost Famous, a movie about a boy struggling to find himself as a rock journalist during the greatest era of rock and roll. His mentor, gives him so some profound advice. Aside from the popular line, "be honest and unmerciful," there is another concept that goes largely unnoticed. He mentions the fact that even though being a rock journalist is a glamorous job, often the writer is uncool. Women are a problem for them. He says, "most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people don't have any spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter." He notes that great art is about conflict, pain, guilt, longing, love disguised as sex, sex disguised as love. I am inclined to agree. The greatest artists of our time, the ones so glamorized post-mortem, were on the verge of being tortured psychopaths. Kurt Kobain, for example. Bonkers. Michael Jackson. Bonkers. Heck, even Beethoven. Super bonkers.
The bond between two uncool people, to me, has so much more guts than a shallow, surfaced relationship. Don't search for the cool or even the uncool. Search for the people who get it. Search for the people who let something consume their every thought. I don't mean question them, pursue them or even befriend them. But learn from them. A long time ago, everyone became consumed with something. People had trades, apprenticeships, passions, obsessions. Now, it seems everyone has mastered the guitar, designs clothing and choreographs for Justin Bieber. The one who spends his or her life perfecting a craft has the true brilliant mind. Forget dabblers of anything and everything cool.
I was recently watching Almost Famous, a movie about a boy struggling to find himself as a rock journalist during the greatest era of rock and roll. His mentor, gives him so some profound advice. Aside from the popular line, "be honest and unmerciful," there is another concept that goes largely unnoticed. He mentions the fact that even though being a rock journalist is a glamorous job, often the writer is uncool. Women are a problem for them. He says, "most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people don't have any spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter." He notes that great art is about conflict, pain, guilt, longing, love disguised as sex, sex disguised as love. I am inclined to agree. The greatest artists of our time, the ones so glamorized post-mortem, were on the verge of being tortured psychopaths. Kurt Kobain, for example. Bonkers. Michael Jackson. Bonkers. Heck, even Beethoven. Super bonkers.
The bond between two uncool people, to me, has so much more guts than a shallow, surfaced relationship. Don't search for the cool or even the uncool. Search for the people who get it. Search for the people who let something consume their every thought. I don't mean question them, pursue them or even befriend them. But learn from them. A long time ago, everyone became consumed with something. People had trades, apprenticeships, passions, obsessions. Now, it seems everyone has mastered the guitar, designs clothing and choreographs for Justin Bieber. The one who spends his or her life perfecting a craft has the true brilliant mind. Forget dabblers of anything and everything cool.
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