On redefining what it means to be successful
At one point in his career, comedian Aziz Ansari felt trapped. He was doing it all—long press tours, performing night after night, juggling multiple projects, saying yes to everything, and chasing every opportunity to stay relevant. One night, feeling particularly stretched thin, Aziz ran into the musician Frank Ocean at a party. “Frank, how do you... See more
SIX at 6: Forms of Freedom, Making Less, Giving Permission, Seeing What Happens, Being Consistent, and Deep Affection - Billy Oppenheimer
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
“Everything I do is just personal taste and it’s what [my book The Creative Act] is about. Really, for [people and artists] to trust in themselves. Make something that speaks to themselves. And hopefully someone else will like it. But you can’t second-guess your own taste for what someone else is going to like. It won’t be good. We’re not smart eno... See more
Write For Yourself
“I remember recently, someone told me ‘man, with everything that you’ve done, if you put together a nice CV, you could probably land whatever job you want.’ And I just looked at him. Because that would defeat the purpose of everything. The point of everything I’ve done is to not have to have a job.”
— Benjamin Edgar
When you believe the work before you is the single piece that will forever define you, it’s difficult to let it go. The urge for perfection is overwhelming. It’s too much. We are frozen, and sometimes end up convincing ourselves that discarding the entire work is the only way to move forward. The only art the world gets to enjoy is from creators wh... See more