"Take Lin-Manuel Miranda, a composer, lyricist, director and actor best known for creating the musical Hamilton. Not only has he won a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation, but he's been called a genius in publications like Smithsonian Magazine, The Guardian and BuzzFeed. Genius implies something solitary, and we often think of genius as innate. Even so, Miranda wasn't the best student when he was young; teachers weren't swooning over his early promise."
"Even so, Miranda wasn't the best student when he was young; teachers weren't swooning over his early promise. As Miranda told Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, the author of a new biography, Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist: "I was never the brightest student at Hunter College Elementary School, but I was good at making up songs, and I was good at making kids laugh, which is the only currency that matters when you are surrounded by people who are much smarter than you.""
"Pollack-Pelzner, a writer for The New Yorker and a visiting scholar at Portland State University, says that although Miranda is undeniably talented and works very, very hard, his superpower is that he cultivates, collaborates with and is constantly learning from a large group of creative friends. Pollack-Pelzner's new book traces Miranda's career from elementary school musicals, to writing and starring in Disney movies, to his concept album based on the cult-classic film The Warriors."
Lin-Manuel Miranda received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" and has been widely labeled a genius despite the term's solitary, innate connotations. Miranda was not the top student as a child and faced early academic anxieties, including math anxiety and insecurity about his nose. He grew up in a largely Latino Manhattan neighborhood yet attended a more affluent Upper East Side school, which required adjustment. Theater became an outlet where he could test ideas, make music, and connect with peers. Miranda cultivates and collaborates with a large group of creative friends and continuously learns from them. His career spans elementary school musicals, Disney projects, and a concept album inspired by The Warriors.
Read at www.npr.org
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