art V. capitalism
"Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops." Pg. 49
the only way I can gain autonomy is to write from my incomplete point of view. Put like that, autonomy comes from trust in the self, in subjective vision. It’s a rejection that the answer lies in any narrative framework.
Paul Gauguin • writing as autonomy
I think a lot of people are dismissive of their best thoughts. They can’t put their observations on paper because they’ve already censored them in their mind.
Paul Gauguin • writing as autonomy
We are numb to our own knowledge
Creativity is inherently anti-authoritarian. As in: to be successfully creative, you have to shed the part of yourself that desperately wants reassurance. It’s only then that you can escape cliche and escape paradigmatic thinking.
Paul Gauguin • writing as autonomy

The poem was not so bad. I won’t publish it here. Or anywhere. Maybe I’ll be able to give it to my daughter when she is older. Maybe it will mean a lot to her. Maybe not. But it meant a lot to me.
I am not terribly optimistic about the state of the world. I do not think the people with power and wealth are working to improve our lives. In the realm... See more
I am not terribly optimistic about the state of the world. I do not think the people with power and wealth are working to improve our lives. In the realm... See more
Why You Should Still Build Your Raft of Art in the Sea of Slop
The writers I know who have been driven mad by the industry are those whose expectations were untethered to reality. Secondly, it is useful to separate the business side of publishing from the artistic side. I mean that both in actual practice—e.g., do your business work at different hours than you create—and in your mentality. Sales aren’t art. Vi... See more
Why You Should Still Build Your Raft of Art in the Sea of Slop
We all must ask ourselves what it is we want to do with our time on this planet. Do you want to make something beautiful and true and unique to you? Or do you want to make something formulaic, trend-chasing, and interchangeable because “the market” is says the ROI might be better? You can choose to compete with books written by committee and tailor... See more
Why You Should Still Build Your Raft of Art in the Sea of Slop
Even Shakespeare’s plays were overshadowed by the truly popular entertainment of the day: watching dogs maul chained bears. (Did Shakespeare get stressed about the pointlessness of writing sonnets in an age dominated by bear baiting? Maybe. But I’d like to think he thought, that shit doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m doing