Reminders for myself

One of my favorite pieces of modern wisdom ever uttered comes from Jim Carrey:

“I’ve often said that I wish people could realize all their dreams and wealth and fame so that they could see that it’s not where you’re going to find your sense of completion ... No matter what you gain, ego will not let you rest. He will tell you that you cannot stop

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This is an insight that has been repeated by artists, too. Pablo Picasso: “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” James Baldwin: “Perhaps the primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone.” Bob Dylan: “To be creative you’ve got to be... See more

Having pored over a lot of writers’ and artists’ diaries and letters for my  Daily Rituals  research, I can say that most of them never felt that their work fulfilled their ambitions. Or, if they did feel that way, it was only in brief surges of confidence, which could be tremendously satisfying and productive—but which never lasted as long as they

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Before you know what your calling is, you must believe you are called to something. It doesn’t matter if you know what. In order to cultivate awareness, you must be willing to act, to step out and see what happens. And once you are convinced that purpose will not find you, that you will have to go in search of it, you are ready. Until you make this

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Everything I’ve experienced in my life thus far has been my purpose, and that a sense of purpose is no further away than the next inhale or blink. This revelation was a relief. I felt myself put down the weight of needing absolute clarity on life direction and certainty that I’m doing the right things.

There’s no way to get any of this wrong.

"The

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My entire philosophy of how I organize myself as a working painter can be summed up by something George Carlin said: “Just keep movin’ straight ahead. Every now and then you find yourself in a different place.”

You hear a lot in art school about how painters must continue to “grow” and “evolve”—but I think those are such bullshit words. There is... See more

“Whichever route you take, expect a struggle. Finding work you love is very difficult. Most people fail. Even if you succeed, it's rare to be free to work on what you want till your thirties or forties. But if you have the destination in sight you'll be more likely to arrive at it. If you know you can love work, you're in the home stretch, and if... See more

"I don't know where I'm going, but I know exactly how to get there."

I recently heard this quote from Boyd Varty. It spoke to me, because one of my greatest fears is not getting to where I want to be. Not because I don't think I'll get there, but because I don't know where "there" is. I don't know what I want to be , do or accomplish . I don't know... See more