Author: MAÔ

Life is easily complicated. Each day, outside pressures arise. 

Most of our daily activities are driven by outward influence. The media we consume dictates many facets of our lives.

Perhaps it’s impossible to insulate yourself from that, but being aware of it is critical.

Art is, and should remain, a safe place to explore.

That’s its purpose.

It’s an expression of an idea that the artist has. Sometimes, it can be painful.

Through beauty or tragedy or something melding the two, it can inspire a myriad of emotions.

Art, at its best, remains a safe space to discover.

I’ve been thinking, you can’t fool someone without trust.

We get tricked because we expect a particular result, and some will take advantage of that.

Sometimes, like today, many of the tricks are in jest – for fun.

But sometimes they’re malicious.

We live in an age where it’s much more difficult to know what to trust. And yet, we still do trust, overall. Which is both good and bad.

That’s common knowledge, but its importance can’t be overstated.

The only sure path to achievement is consistency. Moments of unexpected brilliance may create the result, but that carries no guarantees.

The important thing to remember is that, life – it is a practice. Not a destination.

You have to work at it. And that’s true for just about anything you might want to do.

The best thing about having a routine is the structure and stability it provides you.

While routines provide structure, the ideal routine also incorporates flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and occasional spontaneity to keep life interesting.

The most effective routines feel supportive rather than restrictive.

We get in our own way so often.

We want to skip to the ending. Pass over the hard work in between.

But the middle sections matter just as much, if not even more so.

By trying to jump ahead, we trip ourselves up.

Every new day is an opportunity to achieve something.

It doesn’t have to be a big something.

But all you need to do is make a step in the right direction.

Creative works are not meant for everyone. Shouldn’t be.

Good creative works, they may only appeal to a small percentage, those that “get” it. 

There’s broadly accepted “consumer” art. Which is also fine. In fact, those creators are probably making a lot of money off of their work. 

But auteurs – maybe only a very select few understand the product. 

And, maybe, that’s okay.

Social media. The wild west…

These communities are fictions. They are not real. And we shouldn’t treat them as such.

But, it’s come back to what parents used to ask their kids, so long ago, when more involvement was the norm:

“If all your friends were going to jump off a bridge, would you?”

Yeah, Mom. It certainly seems like we would.