Bill Cunningham New York
by agoodspirit
Last night, after an extremely stressful and exhausting week, I finally turned in a 76-page draft of a dissertation chapter to my thesis director. That’s right. Seventy-six pages. It’s the longest document I’ve ever composed in my life. I confess I’m not completely satisfied with it. It’s still going to need work. But hey, it’s a complete draft and I can revise it later and—most importantly—for now it’s done. Hurray!
To celebrate, today I took a breather and watched a really really wonderful documentary on Netflix: Bill Cunningham New York. It’s about a man, Bill Cunningham, who since 1978 has been taking photographs of street fashion for a column at the New York Times. It’s his job to bike New York City’s streets every day and take pictures of people whose clothes catch his eye. He’s a fashion and photography genius but also, as this film makes clear, a true saint. He’s long been mesmerized by extravagant fashion but he himself lives an astonishingly simple life: he owns only a few very simple and inexpensive articles of clothing, and he lives in a tiny apartment with no kitchen or bathroom. He comes across as extremely humble and selfless, and comically jolly to boot. The documentary’s profile was fascinating and heartwarming, and I highly recommend it.
another “must watch” movie for us … and congratulations on your 76-page document; that is no small achievement!!
I can’t recall writing a 76 page paper in my life, ever! I thought 40 pages was long…….. I admire your accomplishment and can partly appreciate the stress and hard work.
I’m trying to imagine living in a place without a bathroom. I could make it without a kitchen but no bathroom…. not possible. So I’m thinking what Bill Cunningham might be like, single, deeply profound but simple, definitely original and unashamed, and probably doesn’t spend much time in his apartment.
Thanks for stretching my imagination and sharing your accomplishment!
go you and that chapter draft! i’m writing my diss prospectus right now (amidst research trips and prep) and my head hurts when i try to think about the scale/scope of what i’m imagining/conceptualizing. hooray! hope you are able to let yourself celebrate some more. (and thanks for the movie rec — saw a preview for this awhile back, and had forgotten about it!)