Children of the Famous

Yesterday, Carl and I drove to Palm Springs to help with an interview of Daniel & John Dixon as part of a documentary by Jayne McKay. Daniel and John are the sons of the marriage between Maynard Dixon and Dorothea Lange. Both famous in their time (and beyond) for respectively, painting and photography. Daniel & John have both been interviewed numerous times about their famous parents and are now both in their 80s.

I think the most poignant moment in the interview was when Daniel said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Yes, I think about them a lot, sometimes I think that I thought too much about their impact and importance and forgot to think about what was important to me."

I suppose it's good to respect your parents and have a reverence for their struggles and triumphs but not to the exclusion of who you are, who you can be and what, you, as an individual, have to offer the universe. It's really all about sharing yourself, not your "legacy".