A man who won’t quite pull his load
It’s John Updike‘s birthday today. I have read a few of his books – “Too Far to Go” and “The Witches of Eastwick”. I didn’t know that he wrote for “The New Yorker” magazine during the same years as E.B. White (Charolotte’s Web).
John is best known for a series that tell the life story of Harry Angstrom, nicknamed “Rabbit”. Rabbit is described as the kind of man who won’t hold still, who won’t make a commitment, and who won’t quite pull his load in society. How many people do you know like this? I can think of a couple. Updike is quoted saying that by the age of 40, “you have probably mined the purest veins of this precious lode; after that, continued creativity is a matter of sifting the leavings.”
I hope this doesn’t hold true for potters. I didn’t begin making pots until I was in my late 30’s. From my perspective, I have a lot of learning and making left in me. I believe that if you keep making and really looking, you will continue to evolve as an artist. What do you think? Oh, here is my eleventh little sweater. (Image courtesy of Bob Walma).
