Boris Pasternak

"I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled.  Their virtue is lifeless and it isn't of much value.  Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them."

— Boris Pasternak

Russian Poet/Novelist

1890 - 1960

We all make mistakes.  We stumble and fall.  None of us are perfect no matter how much we try not to mess up.  And from one perspective life would be boring if everyone was perfect.  Think about what the world would be like if no one lied, had affairs or committed murder.  What would writers write about?  Even the best of us have skeletons in our closets.  And it is our failures that make us artists, writers and musicians.  We have a need to communicate these failures to the world.  How have your failures influenced and shaped your art?  How have your mistakes colored the life you live?

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Gunther Grass

"Even bad books are books, and therefore sacred."

— Gunther Grass

German Novelist

1927 - 

Let me expand this quote to say that even bad art is sacred.  I believe the creative process is a sacred act.  I think we have too many critics who are quick to criticize.  If someone has the stamina to write a novel, the person is a success.  It's like running a marathon.  Just finishing is success.  If a person has the courage to paint a picture, the person is successful.  If I ask 10 different people what they think about a painting, a novel, a poem or a song, I would probably get 10 different opinions ranging from terrible to great.  We try to make arts competitive by ranking them in terms of quality.  The arts should not be competitive.  Respect the creator.  Honor the creator.  Respect the creative process.

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Vaclav Havel

"Vision is not enough — it must be combined with venture.  It is not enough to stare up the stairs, we must step up the stairs."

— Vaclav Havel

Czech Playwright/Poet/Politician

1936 - 2011

Over the years I have met people who wanted to write a book.  They dreamed of being successful writers, but they never put pen to paper.  Having a vision of what you want to accomplish is very important to success, but vision without action is disaster.  Don't desire to be a write.  Write and someday you will be a writer.  Don't desire to be an artist.  Paint and someday you will be a artist.  Dreaming about what you desire is of no value unless you act upon your desire.

Vaclav Havel was a rare writer who had a vision and took action.  Not only did Havel put his vision into writing, he also took action and became the ninth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic.  

Don't just dream of success, but take action and climb the stairs one step at a time and you will reach the top.

Here is a news report and tribute to Vaclav Havel.

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Wanda Koop

"There's an assumption that because I'm an artist, I've got all the time in the world."

— Wanda Koop

Canadian Painter

1951 - 

If people know you are an artist, writer or musician, they don't think you work.  They assume they can stop by anytime and you will drop what ever you are doing so you can entertain them.    They believe you should have no problem serving on various committees because you have time on your hands.  What they don't understand is that creative work is also mental work.  Even if you are not physically working, you mind is working overtime.  As creative leaders we need to learn to say no.  Don't allow others to steal time away from your work.  Stand strong and firm even if they beg.

Here is an interview with Wanda Koop.

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Harley King

If you have been following this blog, you will have noticed that I am a strong advocate of reading books.  In 2011 I read 28 books, one less than 2010.  Here is my list of the top ten books I read in 2011.



10.  Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (novel)

9.   White Oleander by Janet Fitch (novel)

8.   72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell (novel)

7.   The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (novel)

6.   The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell (novel)

5.   Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China by Pearl Buck (historical novel)

4.   Pearl Buck in China: Journey to the Good Earth by Hilary Spurling (biography)

3.   The Good Earth by Pearl Buck (novel)

2.   Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey (biography)

1.   Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever (short stories)



To see the remainder of the books I read in 2011 go to goodreads.com:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2103162-harley?shelf=read-2011

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George Matthew Adams

"We cannot waste time.  We can only waste ourselves."

— George Matthew Adams

American Writer

1878 - 1962

We all have been given talents.  Some waste their talents with drugs, booze and other addictions.  Others fail to live up to their potential, living a day dream of what could have been.  Some achieve early success only to become caught up in the glamour and the image, never to create again or achieve lasting success.  You know what talents you have been given.  Are you encouraging your talents and investing in your success?  Are you working hard to achieve your dreams?  Or are you resting on your laurels?  The choice is yours.  Will you choose to become what you are meant to be?  

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Harley King

"Nothing stays the same and nothing changes.  What is old today will be new tomorrow.  What is new today will be forgotten tomorrow."

— Harley King

American Writer/Speaker

1949 -

We humans love to measure time and to reflect on where we have been and where we want to go.  If we have not published our first book by the time we are thirty, we may never publish a book.  If we live to be sixty, we are suddenly over the hill and unemployable.  Unless, of course, we are running for President.

My time on this planet has taught me that as much as things change they still remain the same.  What once was old comes back in fashion.  And what we believe to be new and exciting will soon fade away.  The story you are writing has been written before.  The painting you are painting has been painted before.  And yet each of us must believe that we are the first.  That no one has done this before.  

Yesterday, I quoted Gladys Taber who in her lifetime published more than 60 books.  Yet, until yesterday I had never heard of her.  We may be celebrated in our lifetime but forgotten after we die.  Or we may be unknown in our lifetime and remembered for hundreds of years.  Time has a way of playing tricks on us.  We think we have mastered it and it sneaks a way from us.  

As you reflect today on what happened to you in 2011 and dream about what will happen in 2012, remember that nothing stays the same and nothing change.  Don't worry about the passing of time.  Be happy with who you are and whom you have become.  Celebrate the new year with open arms.

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