(I really wanted to post some of my favorite piece of Frazetta art work, but,
I wasn’t sure if it’s okay to post them (the image that involves half naked women) ... so ... let’s just move onto the next part.)
#2 It is never too late to startYeah, whatever it is, (drawing, painting, sculpting, writing, photography, playing music, making Youtube video, knife making, ...) it is never too late to start.
Example #2 Raymond ChandlerChandler didn’t start writing professionally until he’s 44.
Never a prolific writer, he completed only seven novels (all of them Phillip Marlow’s stories), and some short stories and screen play.
If you have never read his book, you owe yourself to read at very least two of his work.
“The Long Goodbye”
“Farewell, My Lovely”If you have never read his stuff, you may think it’s just another 1950s /60s hardboiled PI story.
It is not.
For example, I love Chandler, but I hate Spillane.
Because his idea of being a tough guy is a physically big man with a gun pushing people around.
Just insensitive and arrogant.
Perhaps, the biggest difference (between Chandler and Spillane) is sensitivity (or lack thereof).
Another keyword would be “sentimental”.
A man pours coffee and lit a cigarette, for a friend who just died in Mexico, brings them to the living room just like he saw this friend the last time.
Set them on table, wait until the coffee is cold, cigarette is burned out.
Then, empty the coffee in the sink, throw out the burned cigarette,
says goodbye.
Turned off the light, out of the room.
Beside “what Marlow” does, what really stands out is the style of writing.
“
So passed a day in the life of a P.I. Not exactly a typical day but not totally untypical either. What makes a man stay in it nobody knows. “
(from “The long Goodbye”)
By the way, all Philip Marlow’s stories are written in first person narration, which is pretty common in this type of story.
(eg : The Maltese Falcon , Dashiell Hammett)
Technically, this style is called “first person limited point of view”.
It’s obviously first person because Marlow is “I” who’s telling the story, and it’s “limited” because Marlow doesn’t have access to the inner thoughts, feelings of other characters in the story. And he doesn’t know everything what’s going on around.
And, since we (reader) are in the Marlow’s head the entire time, we get to know his personality pretty well, which is a combination of being sarcastic, cynical, but sensitive and sentimental, a good observer, and a loner.
This is what makes Chandler stand out so much, as a detective story writer.
If you like writing, story telling (whether by word or visual), creating whatever, it is never too late to start.
(Private publishing is much easier and cost a whole lot less than the days of “printed on paper” days.
Amateur film makers now have the free platform such as Youtube, Vimeo, and there are a lot of affordable options regarding hardware.
)
Example #3 Vincent Van Gogh didn’t start drawing / painting until he’s 27 or 28.Okay, this may not seem to be a good example, since his art work didn’t bring him the happiness while he’s alive.
But, that’s not the point of this post.
Take a look at this sketch ...
... then, this...
<to be continued ... have to go to work ...>
BTW, the title was cut off because it's too long.
It was
How to stay creative (or restore creativity that you think you’ve lost) in time like this?
