A creative soul

This weekend I spoke with a friend about my blog, and some of the blogs he reads. I told him I was going to write my next piece about Jay Z. The reason I said, was that he is a brilliant man that's broken records and achieved great success through the hard work that creativity deserves.

This blog is not however about Jay Z. This blog is about Dennis Hopper, who unfortunately passed away at the now relatively young age of 74 this past weekend.

Dennis Hopper is best known as an actor, and a particularly good one. He has starred in some amazing movies and was there during the opulent mystic time of Hollywood when stars were stars and drugs were for exploration not destruction.

I first became aware of Hopper through his movies and through the media spotlight that portrayed him as a crazed drug addicted womaniser. In fact the movie that I first remember seeing him in was Space Truckers, a movie I - or perhaps he - would rather never see again. At this time in my life he didnt at all inspire me.

Do you remember the first time you were told, don't judge a book by its cover? I don't, but I remind myself of that all the time and with Hopper in mind it was only when I really took the time to look into the man that I found out he was quite amazing. He was as I learnt quite the creative soul.

Dennis Hopper loved art. He loved it to the point where he decided he simply could not let the great art around him go undocumented. He photographed it, collected it, starred in it, directed it, promoted it, lived it.

He saw the world through a creative lens that gave him a gravitas that many probably didnt recognise. He was vilified and treated as some banged out hippie. Perhaps a part of him is that and will always be remembered that way. For me though, I will let Space Truckers slide and I wont judge him for acting crazy. Instead I will remember him - and be inspired by him - for being someone that understood his place in the middle of greatness, and documented it quite brilliantly, whilst also living his life how he wanted too not as society wanted.

Dennis Hopper as an actor, director, photographer, art lover, and legend.

Check the videos below to see him talk about how he loved art.