Thursday, January 29, 2015

Make good art

I had three possible topics in my head this morning for a post:

1/ a Pollyanna-ish post, Five good things about snow,  plus pretty local snowy photographs (as it has snowed, and is snowing, and I am going to have to go to Sheffield on the train and stay overnight, assuming we can make it to the station)

IMG_8650

2/ a discussion about writers  breaking the fictive dream with references to the current disintegration of The Archers (longest running radio soap in the world, which has been captured by an evil Script Editor who is alienating listeners like me, a fan of 43 years) and also with references to the current series (series 3) of Last Tango in Halifax, which has lost me. I am still watching it but I am outside of it now, detached. And it’s not just me…my sax teacher says she was gripped by it, but isn’t any more. There’s a lot to say about this.

3/ a quote from the writer Neil Gaiman on what to do when disaster strikes. I like this, and this is the one I am going with – and for the literal-minded amongst you, when he talks about “art” I am sure he means anything creative, which includes all manner of things….whether it be making a fruit cake, knitting a jumper, taking a photograph, painting a picture, building a snowman, or writing a poem.

take it away, Maestro…

When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician — make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor — make good art. IRS on your trail — make good art. Cat exploded — make good art. Someone on the Internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before — make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, eventually time will take the sting away, and that doesn’t even matter. Do what only you can do best: Make good art. Make it on the bad days, make it on the good days, too.     –  Neil Gaiman

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, the marvellous Neil. I'm sure he's right and this is the only response to all of those problems and more BUT he's scuppered it for me with those final six words... sigh!

Anonymous said...

amendment: 'do what only you do best' is the bit I meant...lol!

lyn said...

I like the Gaiman quote, thank you! I'm sorry that you're not enjoying LTIH. I've just ordered Series 3 as I don't know when we'll see it here. The ABC lost the rights to a lot of BBC programs to a pay TV company & as I don't have or want pay TV, I decided I didn't want to wait a year for Last Tango to turn up on free to air TV. It's one of my favourite series. Do you think it's just gone on too long?

Sue Hepworth said...

Hello Anonymous, (Chris?) I am sure there is something that you can do better than anyone else.

Hi Lyn, I have loved LTIH, and wolfed down the first two series and half of the third. Something happens in the third which lost me. I want to blog about it but don't want to spoil it for those people on other continents who haven't seen it yet. Also, yes, I think it has gone on too long. There is more to say on this too, but again there'd be spoilers.

galant said...

I still love Last Tango. Yes, the plot gets ever more convoluted but the acting is superb.
Margaret P

Sue Hepworth said...

Yes, the acting is brilliant!
I love most of the characters, and especially think John is hugely funny - a wonderfully AWFUL character.
It's the plot that troubles me.