I get it. I really do. You have this vision in your mind of the greatest film, album, song, painting or novel...ever, and you are absolutely sure that people will pay you money, once you release it. But, it has to be perfect! In the words of Vanilla Ice, anything less than the best is a felony. Something, something, something, dope melody. Anyway, in this month’s amazing Top 5, I’m going to point out exactly how fear—and no other excuse—is what is stopping you from creating art. We live in a world where everyone gets to decide that they deserve to be seen or heard and some of us definitely fucking do. Let’s discuss it, shall we?
Who the fuck do you really think you are, anyway, you inflated basket of dick-shaped french bread? That’s what my brain says to me, every time I type you guys a Top 5 love letter, as well as every time I have ever stepped onto a stage. Normal people—whatever the fuck that means—tend to remind themselves, rather often, that they ain’t shit. If you are going to become who you want to be, you have to admit that if it’s ok for your favorite artist to be full of themselves, then it’s also ok for you. It’s fucking terrifying to be a fan of yourself, but you deserve it. You really have to do it, because no one will ever believe in your dream if you don’t. I believe in you.
Putting the image you have in your mind into reality is easier for some than others. If you are a painter, it might come easier to imagine something then translate that into hand motions. Maybe it isn’t so easy for you, though, even if visual art is your thing. I grew up in a house where art meant paintings and everything else was some other shit. I wanted to draw so badly, but I was terrible at it. I worked really hard, but I never really improved. I always wanted to be an artist, though, and I found other ways to express myself; music, poetry, writing, comedy, film making...but, if you asked anyone I knew, it wasn’t art. It turns out, all that stuff and more is definitely art. And, even stuff that isn’t a picture has an aesthetic. Don’t be afraid to be who you are and show that to the people you want to connect with. Dress crazy—or, in my case, dress like you’re in Pearl Jam. Don’t let how you or your work look stop you from making it. It will get better.
So many creative people live such tortured lives. People who suffer from depression or have a traumatic life have incredibly strong emotions and they need to let them out, somehow. Comics are the best at making us laugh at our pain. Painters have an ability to connect you with their yearning for intimacy by painting a stream. Musicians can make you remember every detail of something that happened in your life 20 years ago. A filmmaker can make you forget how bad real life is for a moment, because making that film made them forget, too. Sadness is a powerful motivator for creation, because we tend to believe in magic when we are most sad—we want to be lost in it. Sometimes, a songwriter only writes when they’re sad. Then they sell it and it becomes harder to be sad. Just remember, that sadness is like everything else—it comes and goes. Just write a goddamn song that’s honest. Yes, we loved your jokes about being broke and alone, but that isn’t why we paid to see you. We paid to see...you. We need you to show up.
You probably think you know what makes something objectively "good." You probably think that because you have watched every movie and read every book that you can decide what is and isn’t "good." Similarly, you certainly believe that you know which of your paintings should sell and which ones should be painted over. But, you just don’t—you don’t get to decide which things people will respond to. You will never truly understand why two things you love or hate so much are loved and hated. Almost immediately after letting it go, you won’t even know who has seen it, much less what they thought of it. Maybe, someday, you’ll get big enough that people start telling you how they feel about you, or asking you how you intended them to feel about it. When that happens, you’ll know you made it, but you still won’t know why it’s good—you’ll just have to trust your gut.
Fear of failure—believing that you will only succeed, if you do it just right—is definitely the most paralyzing to me. I have wanted to be a writer and comedian my whole life. I didn’t start doing these things until I was 33 years old, because I never had the perfect joke or the perfect story. Sure, I wrote into a void, but I never tried to really do it. This column has been going for a pretty long time now and it’s the first writing I’ve ever really published. I have been paid to tell jokes on a stage more times than I deserve, and the best jokes I ever told, I made up on the spot. Your shit will never be perfect. You will never have the perfect video equipment or audio tools. You won’t sell your first painting with paints that cost thousands of dollars and your first punchlines aren’t going to work, anyway. The first video you ever upload to YouTube will embarrass you, for sure, but the point here is you have to do it. You can’t win if you are too fucking scared of your imperfections to play. Let go of the fear of failure, embarrassment, mistakes or whatever is holding you in place and stopping you from taking the leap. You have to do it. You can do it. We believe in you.
I hope everyone out there is working on their passion, because in 2019, there are no excuses anymore. There is a platform for you—there is a community of people out there, waiting for you to burst onto the scene and capture their hearts and imaginations. If you want to read more of my shit or tell me how you feel about my shit, you should do that. I’d really love to hear from you, because creating is lonely. I love every single person who reads my shit or watches my shit. So, hit me up on the interweb mail via NextGenerationRetro@Gmail.com, on Twitter at @NextGenRetro1 or read all of my articles here on this website.
