All stories become instructions for living: If you believe in art as tragedy, then in order to do creative work, you must be a genius or great talent, and you must suffer. You have to be willing to wreck your whole life and the lives of others just to make your art.
What would happen if we told the story as a comedy? In a comedy, ordinary people fumble about their lives, not knowing exactly what they're doing or where they're going. They get themselves into extraordinary situations. They fail a lot, but they remain playful and rely on their wits. They improvise and adapt. They make the most of things. They keep a sense of humor and stick around, because the ending of a comedy is always a happy one -- every ending is the beginning of the rest of their lives.
That sounds like a story I want to be in.
-- Austin Kleon, Don't Call It Art, p. 35-36
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