I was drawn to a documentary about the sculptor, Auguste Rodin, this afternoon because one of my favorite places to write when the weather is good is on a bench by the Rodin sculpture garden at the Cantor Arts Center. I had no idea that Rodin’s story is such a lesson in both the need to believe in oneself and the importance of having supportive friends.

The short version: His first sculptures were dismissed as “too realistic.” His application to the École des Beaux-Arts was turned down not once, but three time — at a time when it wasn’t that hard to get accepted. He spent the better part of two decades working as a craftsman, “designing roof decorations and staircase and doorway embellishments” (or so wikipedia tells me), all the while working on his art but unable to afford to cast it. He submitted to competitions, to no avail. It was through his friends and fellow artists and their salons that his work began to gain recognition – twenty-some years after he first started studying art.

Next up this afternoon for me: emailing or calling a few friends to tell them how wonderful I think their writing is. – Meg