Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most
well-known artist of all time. Before he died from a gunshot wound at the early
age of 37, Van Gouh had already created over 2,100 works of art. Here’s the
twist though. Only a handful of people knew of his artwork, and not many of
them even appreciated it.
Every writer should study Mr Van
Gogh biography, if for nothing else but to prepare us for the bloody battle that
we’ll all have just to get published.
But we must also remember that even
if we happen to get lucky and beat out the hundreds of thousands other novels
that had been queried, it doesn’t mean ours will even sell. We still need to
compete with every other book that’s gotten as far. So statistically, to be a
phenomenon best seller that way we want to be, we have to be an extremely rare
person in deed.
It’s something to work towards. What do you think?
Auzy
Definitely a good thing to keep in mind. What's interesting is that there are people who are hugely successful while they're alive, but their art/books/etc fades away from the collective consciousness very quickly, and then there are the Van Gogh's, who are not well-known during their lifetime, but generations later we're still studying their creations. It's hard to say which one's better - fame while you can enjoy it, or immortality through your craft after you're gone.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a way to put things in perspective. I also try to remember that most writers that keep at it succeed. It takes hard work and time to hone this craft.
ReplyDeleteAnna @ http://emaginette.wordpress.com
I love using Van Gogh to teach "artistic personality." Your post reminds me to stay in touch with why I write, and it's not to be a bestseller. It's that rush when you're alone with your characters and your story is gushing like a waterfall during the spring melt that keeps my hands flying over the keys.
ReplyDeleteA very good point Leslie. I have to admit, I can infuriate myself better than anyone else. Almost a wonder why I even buy a book, huh? lol
DeleteAuzy