SPECIAL CIRCLE OF HELL FOR PRETENTIOUS ARTISTS

I'm a big fan of humility. I haven't always been though. When I was young and more impressionable, Ayn Rand convinced me that being an egotist was a good thing. I worshipped her characters, especially the great architect Howard Roark, but even back then something seemed missing. Later I would realize that Roark had no sense of humor; none of her characters do. They're all so damn intense and self-righteous that I don't think I could tolerate having a beer with any of them. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been meeting a lot of artists here in Jordan, and for the most part, I've been deeply disappointed. I've befriended quite a few and gotten to know them a bit after my work with them is done. During an interview for a magazine even the biggest bastard can come off ok if they are smart enough. But once they let their guard down, when things are off-the-record, you realize just how self-absorbed these people really are. Had they chosen a different profession, I wouldn't take issue. But this thing they claim to be, this noble pursuit, doesn't need impostors confusing an already confused populous. Can you imagine Van Gogh asking a photographer to try to make him look thinner in a picture? Well, a beach ball with a head that calls himself an artist asked me to do that the other day. It's not surprising to me that the handleful of artists that I've come to admire here have the gift of humility and a sense of humor. They also produce the best work.