I enjoyed today's class and I cannot
help but think of the can-do attitude of our group as a whole. One of
the course books that I have really been savoring is Letters to a
Young Artist. As I wrote in a
previous post, this is a book that I wish I had encountered over half
my life ago. It is as if she is telling large portions of my story.
Imagine my surprise
when I read one of my mantras written right there on page 160. She
quotes one of my heroes, Dr. Cornel West on the difference between
hope and optimism. As I have heard Dr. West speak of this before, it
is an idea that I have incorporated into my own life. I even have a
“Prisoner of Hope” bumpersticker. What I wish would have been
included in the quote is what Dr. West sometimes adds. Dr. West has
said, “I'm a bluesman. I'm a prisoner of hope.” I like the idea
of of singing even when the soul is low. The Prophet Zechariah calls
the people Israel, “Prisoners of Hope” (Zech. 9:12). This is
echoed in Dr. West's experience (certainly) as a metaphorical
bluesman.
How much of this, I wonder, is in
professor Novak's aforementioned “Angel Managers” who handle the
business side of his bondage to this hopeful art called storytelling?
-Bob
Thanks for the addition to this quote, Bob. Yep, I can relate to being a prisoner - even a hostage - to hope. There is another quote I have at home that goes along with:
ReplyDelete"Faith makes things possible...not easy" (don't know the attribution)
Bob, I wish I'd encountered Smith's book long ago too, but for a different reasons. I regret not having it earlier because it is NOT my story, because I was a corporate drone for some 30 years or so, and lacked the self confidence and role models/ mentors that could have encouraged me to pursue what I really loved. I am having a hard time embracing the notion of being an artist so late in the game, so I don't feel she's speaking to me just yet.
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