In part 2 of our conversation, John discusses how creativity, confidence and creating his own luck led him to meet some of his biggest heroes. And, how their generosity made an impression on him.
Prior to meeting John Ashbury, recognized as one of the greatest twentieth-century American poets, John spent an entire summer in the New York Public Library reading every review that Ashbury had ever written on microfiche.
In another example, John sent 3 poems to Jasper Johns, the famous American painter and printmaker, based on the painting, "Corpse and Mirror". A few months later, John and Jasper met and they have not stopped talking. John went on to write several books on Jasper Johns including, A Thing Among Things: The Art of Jasper Johns, December 1, 2008, which proposed an entirely new way of looking at the artists work beyond the formal readings and into the "sense of life" that the artist was illuminating in his work.
What John found is that his heroes were more than nice, they were generous in their own way which helped John understand early on that he may have a talent worthy of pursuing.
I hope you enjoy this segment.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 & CLICK HERE FOR PART 3.