Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Passion

It's a scarce commodity in bottom-line oriented, jaded L.A. But I think it's more important than talent or connections or luck. You've gotta want it. Really, really want it. Passion. Persistence. Perseverance. All those good "P" words.

My friend Chris Cory has it in spades. Especially when it comes to the subject of another "P" word--pit bulls. Chris is super passionate about animal rights--he made a movie called Diva Dog about his pit bull, Coral, who was paralyzed after a car hit her. Chris works tirelessly to get the word out about Coral and her story to present a more positive image of the pit bull breed and educate people about options for disabled animals.

So to Chris and everyone out there who is passionate about SOMETHING and is doing SOMETHING about it, you ROCK!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Stella Louise,
    While "blondering" (my own word to blog/wander by hitting "next blog") I found your postings, and I enjoy your style and approach to writing. Regarding your post on passion, thought you might enjoy this.
    I taught high-school art for several million years, and one course each year was an advanced studio/seminar type class for kids who had taken art throughout high-school. One component was a survey of European art, usually starting in the Middle ages and continuing through Early Impressionism. We'd discuss a variety of images and attempt to analyze, observe and occasionally critique what we saw, both in terms of values present at the time, as well as what it meant for our own era.
    During one session, a student who was usually quite vocal as well as pretty insightful had been quiet for most of the session. Finally he exploded.
    "All we talk about in all of these critiques is composition, subject, color, technique and historical imperatives, whatever that means. Nobody becomes an artist because of the rule of thirds or atmospheric perspective! These people were passionate! They painted because they obviously cared a great deal about what they were doing, and they wanted to let other people see their truth, their belief, and their personal passion! Hell, I'm Jewish and and their belief systems don't mean anything to me, and yet I sometimes almost cry when I look at their stuff! Why aren't we talking about passion instead of color theory?"
    I muddled through the rest of the period, acknowledging his points, but thought about it later, and came to the conclusion that we discuss, work with, and comment upon the stuff that is quantifiable and "easy to spot." I am not a Christian, and Mel Gibson's politics and theology have little or no part in my world, The critics had a field day with his violence, his dogma and his perceived anti-Semitic messages, but my guess is that his "Passion" is what drove the film.
    I appreciate your writing, and I will come back. Bob

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a great story! Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete