the new

From Ratatouille:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something. And that is in the discovery and defense of The New. The world is often unkind to new creations. The New needs friends... In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto "Anyone can cook". But, I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not anyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

-Anton Ego, food critic

When I first saw Ratatouille in theaters, this quote stood out and I truly appreciated it. Then, I rented it on DVD to watch with my younger bro. This was about 2 months ago. At the time, I had again rediscovered Interpol's Turn On the Bright Lights, but on this go around the latter part of the album, especially The New. I was in the process of developing an abstract short film, a project definitively my most ambitious and sincere to date. I settled on naming the project The New because it so simply captured the essence. But I was still lost on it. I had all these fragmented concepts on the tip of my mind's tongue, but couldn't confidently grasp how to approach creating The New. But, in an moment when I only needed a glint of empathy to continue persevering, this quote from Ratatouille reiterated the struggle of "The New", and gave me that reassurance I needed. There has never been coincidence, only signification of destiny.

I still haven't begun constructing The New, but starting this blog was mainly for building and elaborating on concepts for it. So, in a way I have, and in a way "The New" has led me to this blog.

One last thing to chew on in regards to the quote, the contemporary saying, "everyone's a critic." -- which was derived sardonically, but is meant for sincerity.