ADAPTATION

KAT, you know how we are obsessed with such things as Franzen and HP? This is my latest stream of over-indulgence (I think you will want to hand-hug me for this one):

I became obsessed with Susan Orlean, Charlie Kauffman and (believe it or not) Nicholas Cage, after reading a book on my trip to the States earlier this year called The New New Journalism.

Based around the idea that Thom Wolfe re-invented the journalism industry by incorporating real-world events into fictional novels, it suggested we had reached the second phase of this genre, whereby writers (specifically those enigmatic, intellectual babe writers from The New Yorker) took super specific areas of interest and wrote in-depth, somewhat true, somewhat false features on them. Writers who fit into this category? Eric Schlosser, Leon Dash and Jane Kramer who wrote books like Into the Wild. Most of these novels have been turned into feature films due to their amazing storytelling and ability to connect on a personal level. Enter Susan Orlean.

Orlean wrote a book called The Orchid Theif, which revolves around one particularly obsessed gardener whose life mission is to discover the 'Ghost Orchid' which apparently has only been seen by a handful of people. What begins as curiosity turns into depression and self-doubt as Orlean becomes jealous of said greenfingers, realizing that nothing in her life inspires or excites as much as orchids do for this character. It's then recounted exceptionally by the attempt of Charlie Kauffman (Cage) to adapt this novel into a screenplay in the moveAdaptation (must watch again, and again).  His depression at being able to bring the intensity of the Orchid-o-phile's obsession to the pages of his screenplay mirrors the downfall of Orlean's own feelings and brings to light such casual things as the ridiculousness of life, what things we should care about and why we are so focused on the things that we are. 

The overall plot of Adaptation / The Orchid Thief is so simple: This dude is obsessed with this one thing, but the way in which both Orlean and Kauffman handle it bring to light such significant human issues one can't help but be inspired by the aforementioned Ghost Orchid and its so-called mystical powers.

Bring on being this inspired by anything. As a result of becoming obsessed (alright, not thatobsessed) with these creatives, I have become inspired by things like cactuses, green (note aforementioned post), gardening, alphabetizing my collections and fauning over them, and imagery that evokes ridiculous plant-ness. Perks and Mini collages, probably the best thing ever: