Saving Love from the Fire

“The world is violent and mercurial–it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love–love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.”

– Tennessee Williams

Recently, while preparing my first novel for print, I stumbled upon the above quote by one of my favorite writers, Tennessee Williams. It stayed with me all through my typesetting and editing adventures. Having spent thirty-nine years of my existence as an artist, I couldn’t identify more. The world isn’t kind to artists. It’s difficult to obtain the attention of others, especially when you, as an artist, are already coming from a place in the heart that is outside of the mainstream. People, in general, have their own self-interests in mind, and more often than not, go out of their way to advance the notion of “If I do this for you, what are you going to do for me?” Mr. Williams had a very good grasp of the human condition–a condition which stems directly from the human heart. The artist’s heart remains true to itself, and puts forth that truth, no matter what–despite setbacks, hardships, and a world that is, on a grand scale, adverse to truth and beauty.

Rest assured, the path to publishing Portraits of Familiar Strangers has been arduous, but nothing as hard as what my grandmother endured with cancer. Her experience drove me to write the book. From the very beginning of the writing process, I knew the subject matter wasn’t going to be for everyone. Many out there may not like it and that’s okay. I didn’t write it for everyone. The book happened.

Hopefully, as an artist, I can save as much love as possible from the perpetually burning building.