Date: Fri 07-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: LIBRAR

Quick Words:

Reporter's-Journal-inspiration

Full Text:

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Creative Inspiration-Grace and Greatness In A Small Town

BY ANDREA ZIMMERMANN

Early in the fall of 1994, I got a call from a stranger asking if I would come

to his house and photograph his giant zucchini. Uh... well... this is Newtown,

a town comprised mostly of honorable people. So I gathered up the tools of my

trade and headed out.

What ensued comes to mind often because it was the first of many encounters

that have inspired me as a writer, as a human being.

Like his outlook on life, Sam Mauro's enthusiasm for the 37«inch zuccho

cultivated near a stone wall in his yard could not be resisted. He thought it

would be fun to have his young grandchild photographed with the gargantuan

vegetable. He warmly insisted I come inside, meet his wife, Rose, and sample

her delicious breaded cauliflower, which I did. Fifteen minutes later, I left

the Mauros with an open dinner invitation and the promise of a share in the

zuccho bounty once it was harvested. (I was a little too shy about calling for

a meal; but when I claimed my huge hunk of zuccho and was confounded as to how

to prepare such a beast, the Mauros offered recipe suggestions.)

Coverage of activities in town allowed our paths to cross occasionally during

the next year. The last time I saw Sam was at a senior picnic. He learned I

was having a difficult time finding a new apartment and, after a thoughtful

moment, told me he would build an apartment on his house for me if he was

lucky enough to win the lottery. He died not long after that.

I thought about Sam and Rose recently as I was reading The Grace of Great

Things: Creativity and Innovation . In it, author Robert Grudin observes:

"To be inspired is to surrender one's mind to a new force, heedless and

powerful. Experiencing inspiration is like leaving the world of effort and

abandoning oneself to an irresistible flow, like a canoeist drawn into the

main channel of a rapids, or a bodysurfer who catches a fine wave just below

the crest."

Sam's life force was an irresistible current, into which I was happily swept.

And there have been others who have greatly inspired me - chance meetings that

float to the surface of my consciousness every now and again to remind me of

what is good and worthwhile.

Hazel Spiotti is an indomitable spirit at 91. During an interview she told me

she must read the newspaper first thing every morning; then, after feeding the

chickens and tending her collie, she is ready for the world. I dropped off a

copy of the article I had written about her and accepted an offer of coffee.

She put the kettle on in the kitchen, came back out and said, "Then you'll

have it the way I have it," and plopped a jar of freeze-dried coffee next to

my cup - and laughed. I left that day with half a dozen fresh blue Araucana

chicken eggs and the revelation that artful conversation could be as easy as

raising the shade.

When Digger The Pig escaped from a pen behind the Sandy Hook Diner, I

discovered the circuitous path of goodness. Bob Graves, who lives further up

Church Hill Road, came upon the pig in his backyard and effected a successful

plan of capture. Although happy to speak to me about the rescue, he declined

to have his picture taken or to use the diner gift certificate he received as

a reward. You see, he felt he was just doing the neighborly thing.

Two months later, a fire heavily damaged his 1760s home. Fifty volunteer

firemen turned out to help, as did many other friends and neighbors.

Recently, we ran an ad in The Newtown Bee for a refrigerator needed by an

older friend, and I was listed as the contact. Denise Kaiser called me, and

that week we picked up her spare appliance. She never questioned the need nor

did she seek public recognition. She was simply casting forth a spark into the

darkness without knowing where it would land or what it might illuminate.

Many people have demonstrated the grace of sharing experience with the

inexperienced (me). When Raina D'Amico was appointed vice president, creative

director at Lord & Taylor, she agreed to meet with me after a long day in

Manhattan. We met around 7 pm and walked into her house together. Without a

break in momentum, she handed me a soda and began talking about photo shoots

in Bali, the philosophy behind the sketches used in the company's ad

campaigns, and about working with a creative team.

Eastern cultures have words for "teacher" and "student" that imply a teacher

takes ultimate responsibility for what the student has learned. During a few

technical interviews I have experienced this type of mind set. For example,

when I talked with Oskar Berendsohn, a metallurgist, he patiently sharpened

the focus of his microscope and of my mind to illustrate a technical point

that kept eluding me. It was something I could have easily left out of the

story, but we were both willing to struggle with the challenge of

communicating a difficult idea.

My thoughts have been plagued lately by the question of who should own

creative rights. When speaking with artist and author Dana Fradon, the

interview hit on that topic and he halted our discussion of him until he had

fished out the phone number of an organization that might be able to help me

clarify this point. He also took the time to follow up with me as to my

success in finding an answer.

Robert Fulton, Jr, recently agreed to an interview by saying, "I would be glad

to help you out." It dawned on me then, no matter how observant or talented a

writer is, a great story can emerge only when there is creative inspiration.

That inspiration is found in unexpected partnerships between a willing subject

and an author who is able to leave preconceptions at the door. When this

happens, the chemistry is immediate; within minutes of talking with someone, I

know if a wonderful story will result.

Emerson wrote, "The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always

present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred

impression, when the mind is open to their influence."

After 3« years at The Bee , my mind resonates with indelible impressions of

people in Newtown who have inspired me. The true grace of creative inspiration

is, perhaps, that it lingers, connects, and expands to make me more than what

I would ever be alone.