The Invisible Autobiography
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the prompt the writer Linda Rosenkrantz gave to photographer Peter Hujar: Keep track of everything you do in a day. From the moment you open your eyes until the moment you close them at night.
Rosenkrantz then recorded Hujar recalling his day, and she kept the transcript. When she came upon it 50 years later, she donated it to the Morgan Library where they maintain Peter Hujar’s archives. The filmmaker Ira Sachs stumbled upon it and turned it into a mesmerizing film called Peter Hujar’s Day.
I took the prompt on myself and also challenged you, my readers, to participate. So many of you did—what fun!
Today’s Friday Drop is another prompt. Well, 3 prompts.
Find them after the jump..
Upgrade to access the prompts and the entire 5 year archive
You're reading How to Live
An inquiry into what it’s like to be a person, and what we make of what happens to us.
Subscribe to continue readingWhat's included:
- Every new essay, the moment it’s published
- Full access to the complete archive — 150+ pieces and counting
- Occasional bonus essays and experiments-in-progress shared exclusively with members
- Invitations to seasonal, in-person gatherings
- A direct line to me (annual members): personal replies and tailored recommendations
- 15% off all workshops and live events