I know a lot of people who regret not getting a college degree. It’s hard to not feel bad too, because all anyone’s ever talking about is what you do after high school, and after the first degree. Somehow, people have taken a liking to the idea of children living off their parents.
In India, in particular, parents are proud to spend for their child’s education – for as long as they want to study. Even though education has become one of the highest earning businesses in India, they hardly accept the futility of a degree.
So for everyone who regrets not getting a degree, Paulo Coelho has said it well. Besides, the world already has too many engineers, what it needs now is artists.
Sometimes you learn some great lessons when you’re least expecting them. I was watching Furious 6, and this particular dialogue hit me hard. Not only the truth in it, but also the conviction with which the character delivers it.
That’s when I realized; in all my stories so far, I have never been able to create a character so strong and powerful as this one. It’s one of the things that make a character stand out, and be remembered. It’s the self-belief, the conviction, and – to an extent – arrogance that defines a character.
Between a character like this and a character that remains silent in that exact situation, I’d always prefer this one.
That’s a writing lesson I’d never forget; for a character to linger, she must display powerful attitude.
Now that the holiday spirits are slowly dying down, people have began to talk of the next big thing: Valentines Day. I know it’s too early for romance talk, but it never is too early for poetry! Besides, I’ve been posting a lot of short stories lately, and I’ve been missing the poetic touch.
With this poem, it was love at first sight. Yet again.
And for all those folks who wonder what the hell love is, here’s what the German poet, Erich Freud has to say.
Was es ist
Es ist Unsinn sagt die Vernunft Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe
Es ist Unglück sagt die Berechnung Es ist nichts als Schmerz sagt die Angst Es ist aussichtslos sagt die Einsicht Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe
Es ist lächerlich sagt der Stolz Es ist leichtsinnig sagt die Vorsicht Es ist unmöglich sagt die Erfahrung Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe
Translation
What it is
It is nonsense says reason It is what it is says love
It is calamity says calculation It is nothing but pain says fear It is hopeless says insight It is what it is says love
It is ludicrous says pride It is foolish says caution It is impossible says experience It is what it is says love
Never mind what
anyone says –
It is confusing
says I. ;)
Ever had that feeling of being lost? The frustration of not being able to be as good as you want to be? I know I’ve had that feeling – still do, but that’s when we need words like these. To calm the soul, to assure us that it’s all going to be fine. Because everyone’s gone through it. Every artist faces a point where he or she’s torn between scarcity and abundance.
Art doesn’t make money grow on trees; we all know that. And we still choose to do it.
What do we hope for, when we continue to create art despite knowing that it might only lead us down poverty’s path?
Are we hoping for the next best seller? The cover image of a popular art magazine? The headlines of the reputed news channel that no one but the rich have the time to while away on?
Hell yes! Every artist hopes for recognition. And abundance.
But these’s more…
It’s not just the glitter that we’re after. We create art, because we have to. Because knowing that you want to be an artist and not working on it, is like burying all your dreams and accepting a hideous mask in this already two-faced world.
And as artists, we can’t do that.
So we create art instead – the only thing we can do to stay sane. Such art comes from the heart; it’s raw, it’s fresh and it connects with its audience.
And once we’ve reached that point, the glitter follows.
It’s a beautiful life, an artist’s. And Amanda Palmer has beautifully phrased it in her book, ‘The Art of Asking.’ I haven’t read the book, but after reading a few excerpts, the book’s now on my list. If you enjoyed this excerpt, you might want to check out another one I shared sometime ago, also from the same book.
P.S: The image is a screenshot from Brain Pickings Weekly (with their signature yellow quotation mark.)
The Chaos Within 