Body of Work: The Blog
It might not be the best name. Body of Work sounds like it could be a B-movie showing on AMC, right after Sharknado 7. Or the title of an Agatha Christie knockoff that gets discounted in Hamilton Books the month after it’s published. But I think it fits the bill for this blog. Here’s why.
The phrase “body of work” is defined as: “The entirety of the creative output produced by a writer or artist.”
I’d like us to think bigger. Rather than limit it to a few creative individuals like Picasso and Hemingway, why can’t we expand it to encompass all of us? Think about it. We all leave a mark on this planet, in some way or another. Maybe we don’t end up having our paintings in the Louvre or winning the Pulitzer, but we do make lasting impressions on the people, places, causes, and organizations we interact with.
So my definition goes something like this: A body of work is what we leave behind when we’re gone. It’s our legacy, our contribution, our stamp on the world.
I already had Body of Work scribbled on a sheet of paper here on my desk, highlighted with a crooked box and a janky star so it would stand out from the four other ideas for blog titles (which all pretty much sucked). But on April 29, I read something that confirmed that as the right choice.
It was an announcement that Irrfan Khan had died. If you’re like me, you have no idea who that is. I only clicked the link because the headline said he stared in Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire. The face I saw when I arrived at the article, caused me to gasp, “Oh, that guy!”
A body of work is what we leave behind when we’re gone. It’s our legacy, our contribution, our stamp on the world.
Sadly, Khan was only 53. He died of cancer. I was familiar with him (somewhat) from the movies mentioned above. But I actually recognized him from Jurassic World. As my wife will testify, I’m kind of a Jurassic Anything freak. I was a huge fan of the Crichton books and easily transitioned into a huge fan of the movies (even though some of them aren’t really that good). I’ve seen them all multiple times and have a habit of putting one on as a kind of background noise when I’m working on a book or a piece of art. It drives my wife bonkers.
The point is: I know Khan. Or at least, I feel like I do from watching his reaction to the new, genetically created Indominus rex and seeing his character use his not-quite-perfected helicopter flying skills to launch an ill-fated attempt to stop the marauding dino later in the film. Reading the list of his screen and theater projects, I realized he was quite prolific. I also realized I was witnessing his body of work - the closing credits of his life as an actor.
He had an impressive career. In addition to Life and Slumdog, he appeared in a host of films in Bollywood, had a role in the Academy-Award-nominated Salaam Bombay, was in an adaptation of Macbeth, an adaptation of Hamlet, a romantic drama called The Lunchbox, and had a part in Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited. And those are just the highlights.
In the closing paragraph, the article notes: “With the sheer breadth of his later work, Khan arguably became the most widely known Indian actor working in the West.”
Period. His body of work is complete. The end.
Except it isn’t the end. While his movies will undoubtedly entertain, if not influence, future generations, his impact on our planet will also continue through his relationships. The very last line of the article describes his longest lasting and most important roles. It says, simply: “Khan is survived by his wife, Sutapa Devendra Sikdar, and sons Babil and Ayaan.”
The seeds he planted as a husband and father, as well as what he might have done as a friend, son, cousin, business partner, colleague, volunteer, philanthropist, etc., will go on. In that way, his body of work will never really be closed.
Reading about Khan, and feeling that strange, Hollywood connection/familiarity through Jurassic World, I began to wonder about my own body of work. Should I be satisfied with a list of book titles and a gallery of art bearing my name? Isn’t life about more than generating things - no matter how beautiful, significant, celebrated, or coveted by collectors? I guess it comes down to our idea of success.
Maybe Body of Work is a great blog title. Or maybe it bites. But the question I’ve been asking myself lately is this: What will my body of work really be?
What about yours?