Authenticity is the new currency
All of the people I know who are very talented and could be hugely successful have an obvious cringe activity standing between them and their reward and they just aren’t yet willing to walk into the tsunami of cringe
Sasha Chapinx.comcamus was right, real authenticity lies in knowing when to reveal yourself and when to hold back. otherwise your constant self expression becomes a performance to impress others and slowly erodes into vanity. but in restraint, authenticity transforms into an act of generosity, like when someone opens up at just the right moment and you see them in... See more
Ashwin Sharmax.com“What the really great artists do is they're entirely themselves. They've got their own vision, their own way of fracturing reality, and then if it's authentic and true, you will feel it in your nerve endings”
— David Foster Wallace
Anyhow, the older I get, the less impressed I become with originality. These days, I’m far more moved by authenticity. Attempts at originality can often feel forced and precious, but authenticity has quiet resonance that never fails to stir me.
Elizabeth Gilbert • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Attuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self-expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.
Rick Rubin • The Creative Act: A Way of Being
“You are consciousness dressed in form, my love. Consciousness is divine. Matter is divine. Creation is divine. Everything is divine. Are you somehow the only exception?”
Martha Beck • Diana, Herself
If it’s authentic enough, believe me—it will feel original.
Elizabeth Gilbert • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
I tend to mostly value sincerity over originality. I think I perform better when I focus less on being original and more on being honest.
Timothy Ferriss • Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
“If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.” ~Brene Brown