What life really looks like

“Must be nice to be able to make pictures that look like something,” said the orderly.

The painter’s face curdled with scorn. “You think I’m proud of this daub?” he said. “You think this is my idea of what life really looks like?”

“What’s your idea of what life looks like?” said the orderly.

The painter gestured at a foul drop cloth. “There’s a good picture of it,” he said. “Frame that, and you’ll have a picture a damn sight more honest than this one.”

— 2 B R 0 2 B by KURT VONNEGUT, JR.

Here’s a different take on “write what you know”. Life can be grimmer than fiction, simply because it’s real.