Saw Noah in a full house yesterday. Liked the movie, though I rarely hate any movies, so don’t go watch it and curse me later. My favourite part was the running joke with Anthony Hopkins craving for berries, (and we promptly went to pick up some blueberries after the movie ourselves).
This morning I read that, 50 years ago Hopkins wrote a waltz and never had anybody play it. Andre Rieu performed it for the very first time last year (Hopkins was in the audience). The fact that he had a composition sitting around for 50 years while he was living out an extremely successful career is mind blowing. He was happy having his creation just lay undiscovered.
Hugh Laurie, similarly, after being one of the highest paid TV actors is now doing brilliant Jazz. I am looking forward to him visiting Australia later this year. He has written a couple of books as well.
“Art” is something we have been blessed with as human beings. I have always had the romantic notion that I’d love to be an artist someday. Unfortunately, when you have to explain that you drew a riven flowing down the mountain, that is as clear a sign as it gets that this is not a great career for you. My acting was described by a good friend as “wooden”, most people I sang in front of politely giggled.
I resigned myself to a career of 0’s and 1’s.
However, I have continued writing. Sometimes writing seems meaningless when you can simply email or message people. I used to love writing in the college magazine when I knew a lot of people will read it, and talk to me about it in the corridor. Getting less direct feedback is why I, and quite possibly a lot of people lose touch with art.
However, if Anthony Hopkins, can compose a Waltz just for himself, why not more of us ?
