I learned today on Carol Novack's blog of Anna Russell's passing.
I think there's a lesson in her journey. From the NY Times:
Ms. Russell gave a number of explanations for why her ambitions changed from being a serious singer to being a serious satirist. Ms. Russell said that one factor was that when she was 16, bones in her face were broken by a hockey stick: “That ruined my acoustic.”“I had no range, no color,” she said, “But I could sing loud. And it grew louder and louder and awfuller and awfuller.”
The result was one of the funniest, most unique voices in history. I adore her version of Wagner's "Ring."
I need to learn how to turn moments of disappointment--clashes between ambition/expectation and the realities of my given talents--into something pure and real. But how? What is the THING I have to offer the world? How am I nutty and unique? Today, I have no idea.
What about you? What is your unique thing? How has accident shaped it? When did the river reroute, and did you follow the new route, or fight to get back on course?
1 comment:
Thanks, Virginia.
At least that's something I enjoy.
My fear is that my "thing" is something less exciting, like the visual representation of quantitative information. Which I also enjoy, but not as much.
Consumption! Isn't that operatic!? Makes me think of La Boheme or something. Glad you survived to write the tale. (Or whatever tales you choose to write.)
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