You suck. You’re a loser. I hate you. These are just some of the frequent messages I hear from the voice inside my head. Sometimes this voice becomes so incessant and so grinding that the pronouns switch and before I know it I’m repeating: I suck. I’m a loser. I hate myself. My point in… Continue reading My Inner Voice Is A Dick
Tag: mental state
Inspired, Part 2
Last week, I dove into some initial takeaways from the book entitled The Creative Act: A Way of Being by the legendary music producer, Rick Rubin. My focus for Part 1 was understanding where artists find inspiration for their works. Of course, there doesn’t always have to be inspiration. A lot of times, great art… Continue reading Inspired, Part 2
Inspired, Part 1
I recently read Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being and it is such a bounty of useful information — for artists and non-artists alike — that I am going to be referring back to it over the next few blog posts. The book is different in that it is a collection of… Continue reading Inspired, Part 1
Just Hold On
I was two hours into manning the booth at my very first art fair — the Greater Conroe Art Festival in Conroe, Texas — and though I hadn’t sold anything yet I was still confident that potential collectors were out there somewhere. The conversations I was having with people as they passed through gave me… Continue reading Just Hold On
The Jury Is Out
In the last few days I have received good news that my artwork has been accepted into TWO juried shows for the spring! Yee haw! Participating in a juried art show is new territory for me so I am looking forward to being fully present for the experience. If “juried art show” is an unfamiliar… Continue reading The Jury Is Out
Hang In There
This blog post is a reminder to myself as much as it is a message to you. Hang. In. There. Just hang in there, man. As I go through yet another stage of what I assume is a mid-life crisis, I have to constantly talk myself out of listening to the vitriolic, self-loathing voice in… Continue reading Hang In There
Religion of the Mind
Growing up a Star Wars fanatic, I became obsessed with the idea of “the Force” at an early age. The idea that there exists a mystical energy field that controls my destiny was one that I felt compelled to explore. So when I later discovered Daoism and its promise of absolute principle underlying the entire… Continue reading Religion of the Mind
On Contemplating Death
We Westerners don’t have a very good relationship with death. We avoid talking about it. Children are shielded from it. Lots of folks try to pretend it doesn’t even happen. And then it does. And we’re left devastated. The cycle of life has uprooted me several times over the years, and I am always left… Continue reading On Contemplating Death
Fish Out of Water
Human beings did not evolve to live in the 21st century. Our instincts are to be among the wild. To hunt. To forage. To migrate. We were meant to be one with our surroundings. I don’t think Mother Nature found it necessary that we know the opinions of a million strangers simply by looking at… Continue reading Fish Out of Water
Purpose
Purpose has been on my mind lately. What is my purpose? Do I have one? Does everyone have one? For the last decade, as a trainer, I woke up every morning knowing exactly what my purpose was: to help others be as physically fit as possible. Everything I did in life revolved around my identity… Continue reading Purpose