art according to schnabel

i have been fascinated with the schnabels for some time now. and this week’s t magazine has a q&a with its rising member, vito schnabel – art collector/curator extraordinaire.

one thing caught my eye.

To the question, “What does it take to get attention as an artist nowadays?” Vito answers:

“Luck. Good work. Being at the right place at the right time. Being a hard worker.”

which is not too far off from advice that a veteran reporter would give to a rookie start up. perhaps and the drive to be unsparingly critical, but sometimes, i can’t help but wonder if luck is the deciding factor in more things than we care to admit.

passions and professions

please read this article from nytimes on writer john bowe and consider the following:

1. is it just me, or are you also convinced that the reporter is madly falling in love with the writer (“..later, in one of several late night phone calls when mr. bowe seemed less guarded…”). she also spends two paragraphs talking about the actual book (americans talk about love) before willingly and dreamily entering bachelor land of florid wall decor. you can almost hear her giggling at all his new york deadpan jokes.
2. john bowe is such an easy sell: he is not just for “women with a soft spot for social issues.” a man who put up with julian schnabel and wrote “basquiat” and uses mortar and pestle for preparing dinner? please.
3. kidding aside, this article directly references a talk i had with my friend while coursing through the holiday season in holland. rianne shares this deeply insightful observation. ready? so: this society urges us to focus on our professional careers, to do everything in our power to establish ourselves as productive members of this economy and to be gainfully employed, to climb to teh top and stay there. and yet, it is only after years have passed and only after it is too late to change the tide, that you will be criticized for being blinded by fame, and for not pursuing the great passions of your life. we live in a schizophrenic world that professional growth leave no room for passionate embrace. we live in a world where even willing writers cannot seem to find love.