Painterly empty olive coat hanging above a pair of worn boots.

Original artwork, not a still

Vincent van Gogh

Occasionally, in times of worry, I’ve longed to be stylish, but on second thoughts I say no – just let me be myself – and express severe, rough, yet true things with rough workmanship.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker admits that worry sometimes brings a wish to be fashionable, then rejects it. Better, on reflection, to be oneself and give voice to harsh, unpolished but honest truths, using deliberately rough craft. Authenticity matters more than elegance, and the roughness itself becomes a form of honesty.

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