Years ago I was a member of a college council. Our CEO had a painting by Jack Shadbolt in his office that a fellow doctor had donated to the college. It was well known that the painter liked to retrieve his paintings at a later date and revise things he had decided he wasn't pleased with. He was an important Vancouver painter and owners probably never refused him.
The painting of ours that I recall was of the old Marpole wooden footbridge at the end of the street. The artist had painted people standing on the bridge looking down at the water of the Fraser Arm. He repainted the foreground to his satisfaction and returned the revised work.
It would be tough to collect all the books that one sold and to change the lines that offended oneself. Certainly, if you haven't sold the copyright you can republish the book without the dirty or underwhelming bits, but that doesn't change what is already out there.
It's tough to alter the lines in your past where they are troubling. You just have to forgive yourself and crank up every morning with the new knowledge and the new humility you may be blessed with. Then one can republish oneself with the current received wisdom, where again, thank God, you still own your own copyright. Never sell it ! Once you have republished yourself , you can go and make a new set of mistakes for your life.
Unlike the occasional painting, there is no pigment opaque enough to cover up the original me. At . least be an open book to oneself. I guess editing oneself is a lifelong process, but if you don't publish sometime, then you aren't here at all. Shit happens, but humble pie always has enough calories to help one grow bigger.
The painting of ours that I recall was of the old Marpole wooden footbridge at the end of the street. The artist had painted people standing on the bridge looking down at the water of the Fraser Arm. He repainted the foreground to his satisfaction and returned the revised work.
It would be tough to collect all the books that one sold and to change the lines that offended oneself. Certainly, if you haven't sold the copyright you can republish the book without the dirty or underwhelming bits, but that doesn't change what is already out there.
It's tough to alter the lines in your past where they are troubling. You just have to forgive yourself and crank up every morning with the new knowledge and the new humility you may be blessed with. Then one can republish oneself with the current received wisdom, where again, thank God, you still own your own copyright. Never sell it ! Once you have republished yourself , you can go and make a new set of mistakes for your life.
Unlike the occasional painting, there is no pigment opaque enough to cover up the original me. At . least be an open book to oneself. I guess editing oneself is a lifelong process, but if you don't publish sometime, then you aren't here at all. Shit happens, but humble pie always has enough calories to help one grow bigger.
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