Who Would You Invite to Dinner?
For anyone who has been to a college or graduate program interview, chances are you are familiar with this commonly asked question:
"If you could invite three people, living or dead, to a dinner, who would you ask?"
It's a question I used to be intimidated by, but now I secretly hope it will come up, as I have finally compiled a selection I am rather proud of...
So because I have stressed myself out beyond comprehension at the moment and need to calm myself down a bit, I've decided to type out my reasonings behind picking each of these individuals. While you probably don't care a hoot, perhaps my choices will give you a little bit more insight into my crazy brain, if that tickles your fancy;) More importantly, I just really need to type something right now... lol
(Welcome to the life of a medical student.......)
1. Jane Austen
This pick might seem cliché, but Jane Austen has honestly been an inspiration and hero of mine since junior high where I was first introduced to her works. It goes without saying that she is a remarkable author, but her books themselves are not the main reason why I admire her. Rather, it is the context in which they were written and the fact that they were written at all that has always garnered my deep respect. I've done a reasonable amount of research on her over the years and have written a handful of papers, but honestly there isn't a whole lot to go off of. She was a very private person, she never married or had children, and she died quite young (41). And yet she left us with seven incredible novels and a handful of other works that accurately embody late 18th century, middle class England. And unlike the majority of successful authors of that era, she offers a uniquely female perspective.
Austen chose to pursue a career that was by no means financially stable, not to mention one that many believed women were unsuited for, and she did not write the conventional "fluff" and simple, contrite "novelas" that were often considered to be "women's work". While Austen's works are often thought of as love stories, if you actually read them, they are much more than that. Her works are filled with characters whose deepest aspirations and darkest struggles mirror those experienced by the real people around her. Her social commentary is bitingly witty, humorously ironic, and brutally honest. She paints things as they truly appeared to be from her vantage point, the good and the bad, yet she always aimed to give her characters, in the end, what she truly believed they deserved. Though I would argue she knew better than most that reality is rarely so kind... Austen's works did not gain major popularity until after her death, so she never received the praise she certainly deserved, but that never deterred her from pursuing her passion till the day she took her last breath.
If I could sit down with Jane Austen, I would want to ask her where her bravery came from. Doing what she did could not have been easy... I am sure she made countless sacrifices, emotionally, socially, mentally, that none of us will ever realize. I do not doubt there were many moments where she considered giving up. What was it that inspired her pen to keep writing? And finally, I would want to thank her. I would want to thank her for being one of my first female role models and for inspiring me to go where my passions lead, regardless of what society or those around me might say.
2. Georges Seurat
So if you know me well, more likely than not I have lectured you on George Seurat on one occasion or another... And if you haven't been privileged enough to hear this spiel, well now's your chance;) So George Seurat was a painter during the late 19th century, and you will probably recognize his most famous work, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," pictured below:
It currently hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago, which I was fortunate enough to visit a few years ago, and the story surrounding the creation of this masterpiece is actually the inspiration behind my favorite Broadway musical, Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park With George". Unless you are already familiar with it, what you cannot tell from this photo is that the painting stands 7x10 feet tall, is comprised entirely of dots, and took two whole years to complete. Plus, Seurat actually invented this style of painting, now called "pointillism". If I don't have your attention by now, I haven't done my job.
So who was Georges Seurat? Well that's a great question. I'm glad you asked. Unfortunately, there's even less known about him than there is about Jane Austen. That's another reason why I want to meet both of them so much... For having as large of an impact as they did in their respective fields, there is just so much we don't know about them... What we do know about Seurat is that he was a French painter, classically trained in the "Impressionist" style, which you may recognize in works by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, or Pierre Ranoir to name a few. But early in his career, Seurat stepped away from painting for several years in order to study the "science" behind how the human eye and brain perceive color and light, and he comprised his findings into what he called "Color Theory". So cool right?! Using that knowledge he developed a new style of painting, a move that would serve as the catalyst for a major shift in the artistic community. Unfortunately, such a change was not met without significant resistance and certainly did not happen over night.
I think today we often take for granted the truth behind the cliché "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". But you can pretty much create anything today and call it art. Many of my OBU honors colleagues will laugh and shake their heads when I say, "Art needs no justification," but I really think there is some truth to that statement... In Seurat's time, this was not the case. The French "Salon" determined what was art and what was not, and in the late 1800s, what Seurat was doing was not that. The first piece he submitted to the salon was rejected, and "A Sunday Afternoon" was rejected once before finally being displayed. But with its acceptance, the Neo-Impressionist movement began to take off in Paris, and suddenly the standards for "what makes art, art" were being questioned and remodeled. Georges inspired that! And did I mention he was only 26?
I know I'm typing too much about him, and you probably don't care, but I just feel so strongly that his story needs to be shared... And I'll tell you why. Much like Austen, Georges Seurat is a perfect example of someone who dared to defy the norm and chose to pour his entire life into something he was deeply passionate about. Did you know that during the two years Seurat was painting "A Sunday Afternoon" he traveled to the La Grande Jatte every single day and created 28 sketches, 28 panels, and 3 larger canvas models before translating the final product onto a canvas in his studio. That is the true definition of dedication.
Yet this brings up an important question that I think Sondheim's musical addresses beautifully: "What sacrifices are worth making to achieve ones dream?" Again, like Jane Austen, Georges died very young (31), and we don't know much about his personal life, but that is most likely due to the fact that he did not have much of one. We know he had a very close relationship with his mother, and yet she never knew that he had a serious companionship with a woman whom he fathered two children with. Other than that, he is not known to have had any close connections outside of teacher-student relationships, and due to his early death, he never saw the huge impact his work had on the artistic community and never received the praise he deserved... And much like with Jane, I have to wonder, was it worth it? If I were to have dinner with Georges Seurat, that is what I would want to know.
3. Eric Whitacre
And finally, moving along in the chronological timeline (that was not intentional), we have Eric Whitacre. So Eric Whitacre is the only one of my three dinner guests who is currently alive, but I honestly believe he has just as much of a right to sit at this metaphorical table as the other two. If you follow me on Facebook at all, chances are you've seen a few of his videos, because I tend to post about him a lot. But I just think he's utterly brilliant, and I want the rest of the world to appreciate his work as much as I have for many years now!
Eric Whitacre is a forty-seven year old composer from Nevada, and he has been revolutionizing the choral scene for arguably over a decade now. I remember when I first came into contact with his music in junior high. The first song I ever heard of his is "Sleep," and it will forever be my favorite of his works. I remember begging for his CD "Light and Gold" when it was first released and listening to it every day as I drove to High School... Whitacre's music tapped into such deep emotions within me that I don't think I even had the ability to express at the time... But I knew from the first moment I heard his works that I was experiencing something special, and almost a decade later, I still feel the same way...
Whitacre has this wonderful ability to create chords that are so hauntingly beautiful in all of their layered and dissonance-filled glory, that they will simply take your breath away. He also has made choral music so accessible and relatable to a much younger and even international audience, and I will forever be grateful to him for that... From working with Hans Zimmer to write the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack, to orchestrating multiple "virtual choirs," to creating insanely beautiful covers of popular songs like Johnny Cash's "Hurt," Whitacre certainly knows how to sneak the glory of choral music into a younger generation, proving that choir is not as "stuffy" as some are inclined to believe. I know I and many of my friends were certainly affected by his works in many many ways...
The thing I may love about Eric Whitacre even more than his music, however, is his humility. Eric Whitacre is such a passionate person. He oozes it in everything he does whether he's directing his own choir or someone else's, whether he's talking about his own pieces or someone else's, whether he's promoting his own work or encouraging his fellow music lovers. You can tell he absolutely loves his art form and, more importantly, he loves sharing his art form with others and encouraging them to follow their own passions. He never brags or boasts or begs for attention. He simply presents his creations to you with open arms, expecting nothing in return, and encourages you to do the same. His personal joy is found in the process and isn't based necessarily on how it's received. And I love about him. If I were to sit with him at dinner, I would want to ask him where that passion comes from and if he ever feels like he loses it? I have always considered myself to be a passionate individual, but sometimes I feel like my flame burns dimmer than I would like...
Conclusion:
In reflecting over my three dinner guests, I find it interesting that I chose individuals from the fields of literature, art, and music. None of these fields are the one I chose to pursue a career in, and yet all three of them have had a profound impact on my life and have played a huge role in shaping who I am. The one thread that ties these three heroes together, I think, is their unwavering passion and unyielding determination. All three took serious risks in choosing to defy what was considered "normal" in their fields, and at least two of them were never privileged to witness the profound impact that decision had...
So yea, these are the people who inspire me and intrigue me and occupy too much of my time...
Feel free to let me know who your three dinner guests would be and what you'd most like to ask them!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading friend:)
"If you could invite three people, living or dead, to a dinner, who would you ask?"
It's a question I used to be intimidated by, but now I secretly hope it will come up, as I have finally compiled a selection I am rather proud of...
So because I have stressed myself out beyond comprehension at the moment and need to calm myself down a bit, I've decided to type out my reasonings behind picking each of these individuals. While you probably don't care a hoot, perhaps my choices will give you a little bit more insight into my crazy brain, if that tickles your fancy;) More importantly, I just really need to type something right now... lol
(Welcome to the life of a medical student.......)
1. Jane Austen
This pick might seem cliché, but Jane Austen has honestly been an inspiration and hero of mine since junior high where I was first introduced to her works. It goes without saying that she is a remarkable author, but her books themselves are not the main reason why I admire her. Rather, it is the context in which they were written and the fact that they were written at all that has always garnered my deep respect. I've done a reasonable amount of research on her over the years and have written a handful of papers, but honestly there isn't a whole lot to go off of. She was a very private person, she never married or had children, and she died quite young (41). And yet she left us with seven incredible novels and a handful of other works that accurately embody late 18th century, middle class England. And unlike the majority of successful authors of that era, she offers a uniquely female perspective.
Austen chose to pursue a career that was by no means financially stable, not to mention one that many believed women were unsuited for, and she did not write the conventional "fluff" and simple, contrite "novelas" that were often considered to be "women's work". While Austen's works are often thought of as love stories, if you actually read them, they are much more than that. Her works are filled with characters whose deepest aspirations and darkest struggles mirror those experienced by the real people around her. Her social commentary is bitingly witty, humorously ironic, and brutally honest. She paints things as they truly appeared to be from her vantage point, the good and the bad, yet she always aimed to give her characters, in the end, what she truly believed they deserved. Though I would argue she knew better than most that reality is rarely so kind... Austen's works did not gain major popularity until after her death, so she never received the praise she certainly deserved, but that never deterred her from pursuing her passion till the day she took her last breath.
If I could sit down with Jane Austen, I would want to ask her where her bravery came from. Doing what she did could not have been easy... I am sure she made countless sacrifices, emotionally, socially, mentally, that none of us will ever realize. I do not doubt there were many moments where she considered giving up. What was it that inspired her pen to keep writing? And finally, I would want to thank her. I would want to thank her for being one of my first female role models and for inspiring me to go where my passions lead, regardless of what society or those around me might say.
2. Georges Seurat
So if you know me well, more likely than not I have lectured you on George Seurat on one occasion or another... And if you haven't been privileged enough to hear this spiel, well now's your chance;) So George Seurat was a painter during the late 19th century, and you will probably recognize his most famous work, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," pictured below:
So who was Georges Seurat? Well that's a great question. I'm glad you asked. Unfortunately, there's even less known about him than there is about Jane Austen. That's another reason why I want to meet both of them so much... For having as large of an impact as they did in their respective fields, there is just so much we don't know about them... What we do know about Seurat is that he was a French painter, classically trained in the "Impressionist" style, which you may recognize in works by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, or Pierre Ranoir to name a few. But early in his career, Seurat stepped away from painting for several years in order to study the "science" behind how the human eye and brain perceive color and light, and he comprised his findings into what he called "Color Theory". So cool right?! Using that knowledge he developed a new style of painting, a move that would serve as the catalyst for a major shift in the artistic community. Unfortunately, such a change was not met without significant resistance and certainly did not happen over night.
I think today we often take for granted the truth behind the cliché "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". But you can pretty much create anything today and call it art. Many of my OBU honors colleagues will laugh and shake their heads when I say, "Art needs no justification," but I really think there is some truth to that statement... In Seurat's time, this was not the case. The French "Salon" determined what was art and what was not, and in the late 1800s, what Seurat was doing was not that. The first piece he submitted to the salon was rejected, and "A Sunday Afternoon" was rejected once before finally being displayed. But with its acceptance, the Neo-Impressionist movement began to take off in Paris, and suddenly the standards for "what makes art, art" were being questioned and remodeled. Georges inspired that! And did I mention he was only 26?
I know I'm typing too much about him, and you probably don't care, but I just feel so strongly that his story needs to be shared... And I'll tell you why. Much like Austen, Georges Seurat is a perfect example of someone who dared to defy the norm and chose to pour his entire life into something he was deeply passionate about. Did you know that during the two years Seurat was painting "A Sunday Afternoon" he traveled to the La Grande Jatte every single day and created 28 sketches, 28 panels, and 3 larger canvas models before translating the final product onto a canvas in his studio. That is the true definition of dedication.
Yet this brings up an important question that I think Sondheim's musical addresses beautifully: "What sacrifices are worth making to achieve ones dream?" Again, like Jane Austen, Georges died very young (31), and we don't know much about his personal life, but that is most likely due to the fact that he did not have much of one. We know he had a very close relationship with his mother, and yet she never knew that he had a serious companionship with a woman whom he fathered two children with. Other than that, he is not known to have had any close connections outside of teacher-student relationships, and due to his early death, he never saw the huge impact his work had on the artistic community and never received the praise he deserved... And much like with Jane, I have to wonder, was it worth it? If I were to have dinner with Georges Seurat, that is what I would want to know.
3. Eric Whitacre
And finally, moving along in the chronological timeline (that was not intentional), we have Eric Whitacre. So Eric Whitacre is the only one of my three dinner guests who is currently alive, but I honestly believe he has just as much of a right to sit at this metaphorical table as the other two. If you follow me on Facebook at all, chances are you've seen a few of his videos, because I tend to post about him a lot. But I just think he's utterly brilliant, and I want the rest of the world to appreciate his work as much as I have for many years now!
Eric Whitacre is a forty-seven year old composer from Nevada, and he has been revolutionizing the choral scene for arguably over a decade now. I remember when I first came into contact with his music in junior high. The first song I ever heard of his is "Sleep," and it will forever be my favorite of his works. I remember begging for his CD "Light and Gold" when it was first released and listening to it every day as I drove to High School... Whitacre's music tapped into such deep emotions within me that I don't think I even had the ability to express at the time... But I knew from the first moment I heard his works that I was experiencing something special, and almost a decade later, I still feel the same way...
Whitacre has this wonderful ability to create chords that are so hauntingly beautiful in all of their layered and dissonance-filled glory, that they will simply take your breath away. He also has made choral music so accessible and relatable to a much younger and even international audience, and I will forever be grateful to him for that... From working with Hans Zimmer to write the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack, to orchestrating multiple "virtual choirs," to creating insanely beautiful covers of popular songs like Johnny Cash's "Hurt," Whitacre certainly knows how to sneak the glory of choral music into a younger generation, proving that choir is not as "stuffy" as some are inclined to believe. I know I and many of my friends were certainly affected by his works in many many ways...
The thing I may love about Eric Whitacre even more than his music, however, is his humility. Eric Whitacre is such a passionate person. He oozes it in everything he does whether he's directing his own choir or someone else's, whether he's talking about his own pieces or someone else's, whether he's promoting his own work or encouraging his fellow music lovers. You can tell he absolutely loves his art form and, more importantly, he loves sharing his art form with others and encouraging them to follow their own passions. He never brags or boasts or begs for attention. He simply presents his creations to you with open arms, expecting nothing in return, and encourages you to do the same. His personal joy is found in the process and isn't based necessarily on how it's received. And I love about him. If I were to sit with him at dinner, I would want to ask him where that passion comes from and if he ever feels like he loses it? I have always considered myself to be a passionate individual, but sometimes I feel like my flame burns dimmer than I would like...
Conclusion:
In reflecting over my three dinner guests, I find it interesting that I chose individuals from the fields of literature, art, and music. None of these fields are the one I chose to pursue a career in, and yet all three of them have had a profound impact on my life and have played a huge role in shaping who I am. The one thread that ties these three heroes together, I think, is their unwavering passion and unyielding determination. All three took serious risks in choosing to defy what was considered "normal" in their fields, and at least two of them were never privileged to witness the profound impact that decision had...
So yea, these are the people who inspire me and intrigue me and occupy too much of my time...
Feel free to let me know who your three dinner guests would be and what you'd most like to ask them!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading friend:)
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