diary

episode 31

Joy and sadness. Falling in and out of love. Good and bad art. Books and music. Philosophy and religion. I have seen it all and been through it all. But if you think that is the end of creativity and life, you are wrong.

The great Hokusai said this in his autobiography (written in 1835, at 75 years old):

From the age of six, I was in the habit of drawing all kinds of things. Although I had produced numerous designs by my fiftieth year, none of my works done before my seventieth is really worth counting. At the age of seventy-three I have come to understand the true form of animals, insects and fish and the nature of plants and trees. Consequently, by the age of eighty-six I will have made more and more progress, and ninety I will have got closer to THE ESSENCE OF ART. At the age of one hundred I will have reached a magnificent level and at one hundred and ten EACH DOT AND EACH LINE WILL BE ALIVE. I would like to ask those who outlive me to observe that I have not spoken without reason. '

posted by sin @ 4:00 PM