I tend to write and think generally, which is unfortunate: it’s in the instantiation of the abstract that reality lies. One reason I can’t write well, aside from how mannered my prose has become, is that I am too inclined toward synthesis: I want to build structures of thought and meaning, and in doing so -like the philosophers I least respect- I lose a sense of the human.
I’ve already done it in this post. And I’m going to do it more. Nevertheless, I came back into contact with two old Bard friends recently and they brought to mind the notion of talent.
I’ve been fortunate to know a lot of gifted people, and one thing I’ve noticed about them is that they’re not like me: they’re not so relentlessly meta, so totally concerned with the processes of their minds and their creative efforts. They are simply creative; I am often mistaken for creative because I’m neurotic, but moodiness is all I share with artists.
The beautiful photo above was taken by my friend JR Valenzuela. He never talked to me about his photos, or what he was trying to say, or get at, or accomplish; he didn’t accompany his photos with essays. He just took lovely pictures that seemed extraordinarily well-developed. I even saved one from the wrecked house after Katrina, but have no idea where it is now.
Maybe I’m just tired of talking, but I admire those that do more and more these days. Check out his site; I am going to post a few more, but who knows what you might like.