Poet and Artist

Jim's artistic interests included the fine arts. Jim always carried a notebook with him for sketching, writing poetry, or simply recording observations of the world around him.

Poetry

From 1965 until the time of his death in 1971, Jim had amassed a collection of over 1600 hundred pages of notes, notebook pages, and diary entries. Prior to leaving Florida State University for UCLA, he threw away all of his notebooks. He later commented that he couldn’t have done what he did after that point without starting fresh.

Jim self-published to books of poetry in 1969. The Lords: Notes on Vision based on writings about film and The New Creatures containing his reflection on life as a rock star. Both books were later published a single volume by Simon and Schuster (1970). Thousands of copies are still sold every year.

Sketches

From an early age, Jim showed artist talent and loved to draw. He would aften create his own comic strips fueled by his love for Mad Magazine. One of his earliest surviving works is this pastel sketch(right) of his sister, Anne.

Film-making

Jim's other artistic passion was for film-making. Jim graduated from the UCLA film school with fellow band member Ray Manzarek. Another notable student of that time was Francis Ford Coppola. A class project called HWY survived - but was not well-received at the time.

Abstract Pastel Sketch

Abstract Pastel Sketch of Anne Morrison
(Jim's sister)