Do You Have The Heart of an Artist?

Oscar award winning, Anthony Hopkins is considered to be one of film’s greatest living actors. This artist has ‘heart’ and after reading about him in The Week Magazine, I thought you all might find his ‘rags to riches’ story inspiring – it sure gave me a needed shot-in-the-arm!

It is hard to believe that eloquent Hopkins was a slow learner in school and was taunted constantly. He was called ‘Dumbo,’ like the elephant because he couldn’t understand things. His grandfather told his mother, “Tony’s got a big head, pity there’s nothing in it.”
His teachers agreed. One hauled him into the headmaster while twisting and breaking his ear for not understanding arithmetic while saying, ‘You are only fit to grease your father’s bread tins’.
Hopkins school days were unproductive. No wonder he found that he would rather immerse himself in art, such as painting and drawing or playing the piano, rather than school. Later, Hopkins was influenced and encouraged to become an actor by Richard Burton and after several years became Sir Laurence Olivier’s understudy. The rest is history…
Now at 72, Hopkins has little symathy for whiners. He states, “You either get over it or you don’t. You can either gripe about it or you can turn it into a tremendous victory.”
Yes, this blog is primarily dedicated to the fine arts however, artists draw their ideas and inspirations from all forms of art and all walks of life. Anthony Hopkins’ story illustrates determination, resilience and self-reliance. These are the qualities we must strive to demonstrate in order to have ‘the heart of an artist’.
In case you need a little more encouragement…
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me” ~Ayn Rand
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
~Van Gogh
“Creativity takes courage.”
~ Henri Matisse
“A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle.”
~Robert Henri
“Be who you are & say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, & those who matter don’t mind.”
~Dr. Seuss
“Illegitimi non carborundum.” is a mock-Latin aphorism meaning, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”