How to be real (really)

I appreciate what Linda Lee Cadwell wrote about her husband, in the book "Bruce Lee - Artist of Life" (by Tuttle Publishing).  She wrote that Bruce "refused the path of the image-makers and, instead, worked to expose and express his true self."


I'm reasonably sure that I've exposed myself before, but as an artist, have I expressed who I really am?

Bruce Lee, in Warner Bros.' "Enter the Dragon".

It's often been said that in order to create abstract or figurative art, or any type of art that contains "expression", that one must first learn to draw realistically.  But last night I was in an online forum, and someone pointed out, "Who starts by drawing realistically?  Most artists start drawing when they are three years old".  Indeed, if we draw a realistic image of a tree, we are expressing the nature of the tree, and not ourselves.  Essentially we've been taught that we must be marketable, must be respected by certain other persons of fine reputation, and that we must thus follow a predestined path towards becoming an artist.  Well, perhaps we should not strive to be artists, as people commonly define the term.  Bruce Lee shunned the traditional world of martial arts, and literally reinvented the fighting practice, according to his nature and need.  I think that we should strive to be so unique and expressive like that.  And if it matters, Bruce ended up doing rather well by himself financially in the process (or at least was about to, had he lived longer).  


Linda went on in her writing, "I feel confident that because Bruce chose the path of self-knowledge over accumulation of facts, and the path of self-expression over image enhancement, that he did reach his destiny with a peaceful mind."  Please refer back to this paragraph if you notice a dwindling accumulation of facts in this blog.  There's a reason for it.  :)