Charles Chaplin

Did you know that Charles Chaplin was a Socialist?
No?
Good.
Charles Chaplin was a Socialist during the 50s, which would be like Jim Carrey now declaring that he's good pals with Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. It scared him, and prevented him from doing anything in Hollywood for practically everywhere.
Also, he had an affair with Randolph Hearst's gal. Randolph Hearst was what Citizen Kane was based upon. Randolph supposedly murdered a guy who he thought was Charles Chaplin.
But who remembers this?
Everybody remembers The Gold Rush, The Little Tramp, The Great Dictator, the funny little guy with the cane who walked funny. They remember the artist, not the man. If you can write great stories, your life doesn't matter. Even the mistakes. You can choose your life, and edit out the mistakes. Your life is just a reflection on the work, on your best self. No matter how stupid, weak, or idiotic, or drunken, or disorderly the writer is, if the works are great, the writer is great.
That's why being an artist rocks. Despite the low pay, the fact that no one may appreciate you, the fact that you'll probably have to compromise your creative compulsives - which is really why you're doing the job. But these are just anecdotes, forgotten by the people who are too busy reading your work.
After all, we don't say, "Charles Chaplin was a man who made great films", we say, "Charles Chaplin was a great filmmaker". To the people who know you, you are you. But to everybody else, you are your works, and your ideas, which should be your best and brightest parts.
Extra language phrase of the day
Ikimashoo, onegai shimasu.
Please, let's go.