But despite this, he was emerged one of America’s most respected poets.

Stevens would walk two miles to and from his office every day, and in that walk, he would compose poetry. That walking poetry eventually won him a Pulitzer and a National Book Award.

His job wasn’t glamorous, but he felt that going to work grounded him in life making him a better observer.

The genuine artist is never “true to life.” He sees what is real, but not as we are normally aware of it. We do not go storming through life like actors in a play. Art is never real life. - Wallace Stevens

So keep that Stevens in mind when you think about the writers life. You can investigate insurance claims, you can clean auditoriums, or you can do nothing at all, but you will still find something beautiful to write.

We say God and the imagination are one… How high that highest candle lights the dark. – Wallace Stevens