this morning one of the favorite things that we do our note to self Series where we ask people to write letters of advice to their younger selves Chuck Close has been a preeminent Portrait Painter for many decades he's overcome enormous obstacles learning disabilities face blindness in a rare condition that let him mostly left him mostly paralyzed more than 20 years ago here now Chuck close's notes to self [Music] this is a note to myself at age 14 I was in the e8th grade and was told not to even think about going to college I couldn't add or subtract never could memorize the multiplication tables was advised against taking algebra geometry physics chemistry since I was good with my hands I was advised to aim for trade school perhaps Body and Fender work never let anyone Define what you are capable of by using parameters that don't apply to you I applied to a junior college in my hometown with open enrollment got in and embarked on a career in the visual arts virtually everything I've done is influenced by my learning disabilities I think I was driven to paint portraits to commit images of friends and family to to memory I have face blindness and once a face is flattened out I can remember it much better inspiration is for amateurs the rest of us just show up and get to work every great idea I've ever had grew out of work itself sign on to a process and see where it takes [Music] you you don't have to invent the wheel every day today you'll do what you did yesterday tomorrow you'll do what you did today eventually you will get somewhere no one gets anywhere without help mentors including your parents can make you feel special even when you are failing in other areas everyone needs to feel special my father died when I was 11 and that was a tragedy of my life a horrible thing to happen when you're so young oddly enough there was a gift in this tragedy I learned very early in life that the absolute worst thing can happen to you and you will get past it and you will be happy again losing my father at a tender age was extremely important in being able to accept what happened to me later when I became a quadriplegic if you're overwhelmed by the size of a problem break it down into many bite-sized pieces quadropolis don't envy the able-bodied we Envy paraplegics we think they've got a much easier road to hope there is always someone worse off than you I am confident that no artist has more pleasure day in and day out from what he or she does than I do Chuck Close this is one of the things that I'm enormously proud of to see this kind of way of presenting remarkable people in their own words in the notes to S yeah a special shout out mommy hook to Paige Kendig that was another paig production she always does him so beautifully but what I like about Chuck Close to be written off in eth grade where they said you can't do you can't do you can't do for him to turn that around I think is really special taking the things that should have held him back and then pushed him forward you took some notes there what did you like no because I know be true to the every time he was saying something he said parents can make you feel special but even when you're failing but everybody needs to feel special at some point in their life and I think that is so true I don't care who you are you feel special most of the time