Yip Harburg was a famous lyricist (“Over the Rainbow”, anyone?) who discovered himself during the hardest of times: the Great Depression.
I went into business… I thought I’d retire in a year or two. And a thing called Collapse, bango! socked everything out. 1929. All I had left was a pencil.
Luckly, I had a friend named Ira Gershwin, and he said to me, “You’ve got your pencil. Get your rhyming dictionary and go to work.” I did. There was nothing else to do…
I was relieved when the Crash came. I was released. Being in business was something I detested. When I found that I could sell a song or a poem, I became me, I became alive. Other people didn’t see it that way. They were throwing themselves out of windows.
Someone who lost money found that his life was gone. When I lost my possessions, I found my creativity. I felt I was being born for the first time. So for me the world became beautiful.
(From Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, by Studs Terkel)
Brandon Durham
on 27 Apr 09Intensely inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
Michael Riley
on 27 Apr 09I had a similar experience recently, moving from web development to systems administration in order to meet the demands of the job market. I don’t know about truly “finding myself” on this career path, but it has opened my eyes to other possibilities.
Bob
on 27 Apr 09I couldn’t agree with you more. It reminds me of a post I did after visiting Stax Soul Music Museaum last year. After the tour, my uncle turned to me and said “You know, all this creativity came from poverty and absence.”
All too often we think we will be more productive with more more bells and whistles, but this is hardly the case. Yes, its nice to have a nice laptop, an iPhone and whatever else, but at what time do you get to the point of diminishing returns?
I gotta believe that ff you want to make game changing things, you have to get to the core of your essence and use your raw creativity and your raw energy to do the things you love.
Thanks for the inspiration, Bob http://onehalfamazing.com/personal/creativity-comes-from-absence/
Mike
on 27 Apr 09Democracy Now did a great tribute show about Harburg a few years back.
coskunlar vinc
on 28 Apr 09I don’t know about truly “finding myself” on this career path, but it has opened my eyes to other possibilities.
MrPalooza
on 29 Apr 09So true to life. Too many years slaving away for the “man”. I hurt my back and realized my true passion while being off work for so long. I wonder if the current economic downturn will force laid off workers to also become creative.
This discussion is closed.