We all walk around with a story in our heads. Sonder helps us remember that.
We all want to hear and tell stories. It’s in our DNA. Art enables us to do that and have empathy for others.
Culture is the collective story we’ve all consciously and unconsciously agreed to.
To change the culture, we need to start telling different stories. To ourselves and each other.
And make great art out of those new stories.
There’s an exchange towards the end of “Top Gun” where Stinger, played by one of my all-time favorite 80’s character actors, James Tolkan, asks how long until he can launch another fighter with Willard and Simkin aboard. They’re needed to assist Maverick and Iceman (Gotta love those pilot names!) who are engaged in a dogfight against multiple Russian MIG’s. Stinger asks “How long?” The response, “Ten Minutes.” Then Stinger, in full Tolkan fury unleashes, “Bullshit, ten minutes. This thing’ll be over in two minutes. Get on it!”
Parkinson’s Law is an old adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
There are a million tasks to complete when manifesting your passion project. Sometimes, to get things done, you have to forcibly shrink the time you have to complete said task. Trust Stinger and Parkinson that you’ll get it done and you’ll get it done well.
Two Minutes. Get on it!
“You are the average of the five people you hang around the most.” -Jim Rohn
Think of the 1920’s and Paris. Or The Harlem Renaissance. Or the 1950’s and The Beats.
Go way back to Ancient Greece. Or the Italian Renaissance.
Incredible art was created during these periods. Why? A main reason has to be the flourishing scene. You had all these artists gathered together in one place creating, inspiring, helping, critiquing, competing and motivating one other. It was a staggering output of beautiful, timeless work.
Today, all across the world exist tons of micro scenes. And with technology, it’s never been easier to connect to them. Whatever you’re trying to accomplish, whatever art you wish to manifest, surround yourself with others who have similar goals and interests.
Better yet, start your own scene. Find and lead the others.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll be part of another incredible artistic period that we’ll read about someday.
The first “book” or chapter of Meditations is entitled “Debts And Lessons.” Marcus Aurelius devotes it entirely to thanking those people who’ve helped him throughout his life. He also names the specific qualities that each person imparted on him.
Examples…
“My Grandfather Verus….Character and self control.”
“My Mother…Her reverence for the divine, her generosity, her inability not only to do wrong but even to conceive of doing it…”
“Maximus…Optimism in adversity–especially illness…”
Two observations.
One, it takes a village. Behind every great person throughout history are tons of people who’ve been instrumental in that person’s development. No one does it alone. The same holds true for manifesting our passion project. Even the solitary painter or novelist has collaborators, influencers and friends who assist that artist along the way.
Two, we’d be wise to stop looking for a unicorn, someone who does everything amazingly well. Instead, we should observe and learn from many different people in all areas of life. We can then select the specific qualities each person excels at and apply them to the areas we want to focus on. In the process, we’ll become more complete, well-rounded individuals.
And while you’re at it, think back on all the people who’ve helped you get to this point. Write them a thank you note expressing your gratitude for the lessons they taught you. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll have made someone’s day.
Supposedly…
…Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for “Rocky” in three and a half days.
…Karl Malantes wrote the Vietnam novel, “Matterhorn”, over a period of thirty years.
…Bob Dylan wrote “Blowin’ In The Wind” in ten minutes.
…Leonard Cohen wrote “Allelujah” in two years.
Does it really matter how long it took someone else to make their art?
All that should matter is your own standard of excellence. When you feel your art is ready.
How long will that be?
Who knows? Just keep telling yourself and others who ask you…
“It takes what it takes.”
An enormous gulf exists between how something sounds in your head versus how it sounds coming out of your mouth.
The legendary acting teacher, Harold Guskin, in his book, How To Stop Acting, advocated a technique he called “taking it off the page.” While privately working on text, the actor slowly reads one line at a time while inhaling breath, then while exhaling, says the line out loud. This frees up the actor. Gets them out of their head, from what they think the line “should” sound like, and connected to their instinct, with what’s actually happening in the present moment. Theoretically, every line, every moment, is infused with aliveness.
A playwright friend of mine reads Moby Dick out loud every couple of years. As great as that book is to read, he claims it’s an otherworldly experience when you read it out loud. He believes it makes him a better writer too.
When working on your vision, your passion project, you should absolutely get all your thoughts down on paper first. But at some point, even when you don’t think you’re ready, call up a friend and ask them if you can talk out your vision with them. Two things will happen…Yes, you’ll find the gaps that need to be filled. But you’ll also realize you have something exciting on your hands, something that people want to get behind. And that you’re a lot closer than you think.
I recently watched the incredible film Amazing Grace which documents the two nights Aretha Franklin spent in 1972 at Los Angeles’ New Temple Missionary Baptist Church recording her live gospel album. It’s magical, majestic, powerful and inspiring. The New York Times said it’s “one of the most astounding performances anyone’s ever given of anything.” I agree. Do yourself a favor and see it. Pronto.
Besides Aretha’s staggering genius, what also captivated me was the solidarity between her, the choir, the musical director, her family and the audience. Everyone is there to lift everyone else up. You can just feel Aretha being urged on to greater and greater musical heights. One beautiful moment in the film that perfectly captures this solidarity occurs when Aretha’s father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin, comes over and gently wipes her brow while she sings her heart out to “Amazing Grace.”
True solidarity occurs when there is no division between artist and audience. They come together as one to make something beautiful.
This is art at its highest and most spectacular form.
An ancient house located in the southeast of France bears a sundial with the Latin inscription “Serius Est Quam Cogitas.” This translates to “It Is Later Than You Think.”
Supposedly, travelers come from all over the world to view this sundial and reflect on their own mortality. (Memento Mori being practiced.)
What are you waiting for? Another day? You might not have one.
Go make your art.
It Is Later Than You Think.
“So say goodbye it’s Independence Day. It’s Independence Day. All down the line. Just say goodbye it’s Independence Day. It’s Independence Day this time.” –Bruce Springsteen, Independence Day
We just celebrated America’s Independence Day. A group of people were so fed up with existing conditions coupled with their dreams of a better life, a better way of doing things, that they boldly declared their independence. They had no idea if it would work. But they did it anyway.
What change do you seek to make? What dreams do you have for yourself, for your family? What passion project exists inside you? And…what are you waiting for? As Epictetus challenged us two thousand years ago, “How long must you wait until you demand the best of yourself?”
Say goodbye to status quo, to the old way. Just say goodbye.
Make today your Independence Day.
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” -Mark Twain
Let’s face it, to be human is to worry. Besides worrying about ourselves, there’s an endless list of people and potential events we can worry about. It’s like an open fire hydrant that just goes and goes and goes.
Intellectually, we know that worrying doesn’t help solve anything and causes us tons of harmful stress. But yet, we still do it. Why?
Evolutionary biologists and psychologists suggest we’re still hard wired to fear saber tooth tigers and other apex predators. That wiring doesn’t line up with today’s civilized world and so there’s a mismatch. A gap. To bridge the gap, we invent our own saber tooth tigers.
So, how do we free ourselves from the trap of worrying?
First, like all things we know we shouldn’t do, bring awareness to the problem. When our minds are racing in the middle of the night, just notice the racing. Without judgment. Realize that’s what we’re doing. “Oh yeah, I’m doing that saber tooth tiger thing.” Meditation and yoga are excellent practices to help us notice the racing a little quicker.
To gently nudge us away from the racing, try and focus on our breath. Again, don’t stress if you can barely take one breath in and out without the racing mind coming back. Don’t feel bad about having the thoughts. Just notice them. Jeff Bridges calls them “unavoidable secretions.” I like that.
Then, at some point, we might ask ourselves a couple of questions…Should I be worried about this thing? Now? How certain am I that what I’m worrying about, will happen? How does worrying about this make me feel? How do I want to feel?
If you decide that yes, you want to give time and attention to the thing right now. Then do so. Get out pen and paper and write out your thoughts as well as–and this is key–a bunch of possible action steps you can take. Exhaust yourself with the list.
There’s a good chance with all this work, you’re worrying will have stopped or eased.
If not, remind yourself of Mark Twain’s excellent advice listed above this post.
And watch this video and this video.
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