On redefining what it means to be successful
Expected elation. Society has built a world that defines what's appealing and what's not. What success should look like. I spent years chasing this idea, and achieved it. And never felt truly happy. Why? It seems so obvious, there are a million songs and movies about how wealth and fame aren't the end all be all for human states. Yet we pursue it a... See more
No way was I going to give up on my work simply because it wasn’t “working.” That wasn’t the point of it. The rewards could not come from the external results—I knew that. The rewards had to come from the joy of puzzling out the work itself, and from the private awareness I held that I had chosen a devotional path and I was being true to it. If som
... See moreElizabeth Gilbert • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
I think that being an artist ultimately is about searching for a kind of freedom, a freedom of spirit, and a freedom in making. The moment when that is possible comes at different times for different people. You should never give up, because being an artist—there’s no one path to it. It’s not like some other fields. If you’re an artist, you’re alwa... See more
On being dedicated to art as a daily practice
thecreativeindependent.comMany of us spend our lives pursuing private acceptance through external success. But no matter the award or honor, our inner doubts will remain. True acceptance comes from inside us. It takes asking ourselves challenging questions like: What do I want from my work? What’s most important about it to me ? How would I create my work differently if I p... See more
Yancey Strickler • What if You Gave Yourself the Gift of Inner Acceptance?
Though we yearn for clarity, the universe whispers caution. If you listen closely to those who’ve made it, you’ll find what many of them want most is to return to the unknown. Kurt Cobain said he wished he could’ve stayed forever in the moment right before Nirvana got big. Virgil Abloh believed no piece mattered more than having the freedom to make... See more