The Color of Genius

LOG · WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES

A short fairy tale in the style of German fairy tales and Hans Christian Andersen, about a painter who can copy anything but create nothing of his own, and the price of a gift.

WHY

This tale, inspired by the classic question of heart vs mind, draws on some connections from my personal life: as a kid, much like the protagonist of this tale, I was exceptional at copying any piece of art with incredible detail and accuracy, but I could never come up with something purely from my mind to draw.

WHAT I WORKED ON

When I was struggling to come up with an idea for a tale, I remembered a documentary about where ideas come from: many cultures believe an idea is passed to humans in a glimpse by some sort of mythical creature, like a genie you have to grab by its tail at once to bring the idea to life, and some scholars believe the word genius might come from the same concept. Inspired by Andersen, the tale doesn't have a clear moral; it invites the reader to follow along and figure out how it ends, and it's my statement and answer to the dilemma of heart or mind. Was the magical helper ever real? Is divine inspiration, is genius, really divine, or does it come from within?

Reach out if you're interested in reading it. mojtaba@clyte.tech

WHAT CAME OF IT

It was shared with the class as an example in later years.