Out of all the things about her visit, I was most interested in Ms.
Corsetto’s manner. It’s very difficult to explain, but in my eye there
has always been a vague demarcation between being a student artist and a
true one. There’s something which confers successful creatorship which
you can feel in an individual, the spark that differentiates class
projects and creative writing workshop entries from published
masterpieces.
It seems intuitive, that the world should act
this way. Even if the spark manifests differently, there are people who
just seem to have it. Neal Stephenson, Lawrence Miles, and J. G.
McCrae all possess the aura of a creator. This isn’t actually a good
thing, given that it’s hard to attribute a spark to people you know,
especially yourself. I don’t think that I exude writer-ness, and it’s
rare to find anyone else in this university who seems to, even if they
have true talent.
And yet Danielle Corsetto doesn’t feel like a
creator, and she’s made a fortune by art standards. My map is full of
holes, and it doesn’t match the territory, and her existence in my field
of view helped me notice that. Being a success in a creative industry
is something which can be accomplished without a prerequisite feeling,
in much the same way that plenty of newly-minted adults don’t feel
terribly mature.
(N.B. I've read Poorcraft now, and I have to say that it's an invaluable book.)