Fragments
Fragments
Pieces of hope - weekly - straight to your inbox.
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Validation
When our contribution is meaningful, we will never feel the need to rely on external validation to feel valuable.
We validated ourselves the moment we contributed meaningful ideas.
But if the meaning of our contribution is to be validated..
We will always feel empty without others validating us first.
Meaningful work validates itself.
Birth
My first born son Ren (蓮) arrived a fortnight ago. He’s a tiny little nugget (0.4th centile for size) and he’s absolutely perfect.
When one expects a child, it feels like the arrival is the big moment, but of course it’s only just the beginning of the next chapter.
And with it comes the sharp reality - waking up multiple times to feed, changing diapers every other hour and making sure we don’t fall asleep and accidentally kill him.
I feel every important thing we create feels like this - the gruelling after care and sustain matters as much as the birth itself.
But when I see him smile for even a second it all feels totally worth it.
Creation is an act of love.
Crushed
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve witnessed - then been slapped in the face - then crushed by other artists’ talent.
I go through - wow that’s amazing - holy fucking shit balls - why do I bother?
But if the conclusion here is to give up because someone else is so talented, why do I bother actually needs to be answered.
Because if the point is to make a difference to your audience in your own way, it doesn’t matter how good other artists are.
It’s still worth doing it.
Better
When we use this word to improve something subjective, we run the risk of losing perspective very quickly.
How exactly does this next creative decision make our work better?
If we can’t describe an improvement other than better, the honest answer is it’s different, but not necessarily better.
And the “better is better” mentality is how blind degradation starts.
Better is sometimes leaving things as they are.
Home
Home is the smell of our washing, the way our pillow feels, the family we live with.
Those things we just know, because we’ve soaked up its essence over time.
And home after travelling feels nice.
Composers and story tellers use this device all the time. We repeat ideas enough for it to become familiar and comforting..
Only to switch things up and take us on a journey, before returning to the main theme.
A compelling exposition is creating a home worth returning to.
And I wish a safe home to all my readers.
Autobiography
The story of change is an exciting story.
And if we’re not happy with our life story to date, we have the wonderful opportunity to change that, today.
The most boring story we could tell in the end is the one where we realised our life needed to change but nothing did.
Which story will you tell?
Zeitgeist
Interesting artists accumulate interesting rules over time.
How to use themes. How to tell a story. How to build tension anywhere, anytime.
Then they learn rules on how to break rules.
Rules like: use cliches to deceive audience, deliberately misuse analog equipment, use poor taste as an ironic statement.
And when we break rules in ways that break outdated norms, we contribute fresh ideas that mark the progression of culture.
Go smash shit up.
Faith
Uncertainty is full of tension.
What if I make the wrong choice? Is it the right thing to do? What if it all falls to shit?
When we’re scared, we procrastinate and make a million excuses to avoid decisions.
But all new paths have the same truth. We have to decide to believe in it first for it to have a chance of working at all.
For the alternative is no decision. And indecision is still a decision.
So I’d take faith over indecision. It’s often the stronger path.
No
In this age of unlimited choice, everything everywhere feels a little like “why not?”
Because - precisely - why not?
But an unlimited supply of why not? entering our work is a sure fire way to make sure everything we create feels vague.
A question worth asking when approaching a creative decision is - is this thing really aligned with what I want to say?
And if the answer is no, then the answer isn’t why not.
It’s fuck no.
Patience
I saw an opiate addict in the emergency department who clearly did not love her self.
She was tearful and became frustrated at the mere thought of opening her mouth.
And I won’t lie, it’s irritating when someone replies to every question with “fuck off”.
But I also know it's hard to know what to say when you feel that broken.
So I silently sat with her for a couple of minutes until she calmed down.
And eventually, she broke out a small “I’m sorry” before she gave me her history.
Patience is fundamentally love. And those that don’t love themselves need it more than others.
Karma
Newtons third law stipulates all forces in the universe occur in equal but oppositely directed pairs.
And I feel this is true for karmic forces too.
When I treat others with kindness and respect, it is naturally what I receive back.
And when I treat others carelessly, I receive the same carelessness in return.
The golden rule is about Karma.
Texture
My wife arranges flowers regularly.
Today, she made a glorious vase filled with white gladioli accented with white gypsophila.
Both flowers are white, but the contrast in texture makes it really pop.
Using contrasting textures in sound also allows a part to pop, making for a mix with more depth.
Texture is a beautiful dimension to play with.
Emotional Labour
Deep automation will soon replace many aspects of human labour.
This is not conjecture, it is already happening across all industrial sectors.
But if there is one thing that AI will struggle to replace, it is real emotional labour.
The ability to care deeply, to empathise on a human level, to bring a sentiment to the table like:
“I’m sorry for your loss - I feel your pain”
Real emotional labour can only come from another living being.
Therapy
For the first time in my life, I’ve decided to reach out to a few therapists.
It’s not that I’ve reached a point of despair, it’s that I recognise there are issues I ought to understand better before it gets worse.
Waiting till things are catastrophically bad to ask for help is a little like waiting for your car to completely break down before taking it to a mechanic.
Which is objectively a fucking stupid idea.
If you’re thinking about it, I say go early.
You’ve got this.
Kindness
“Oh man, you shouldn’t have”.
Kindness is a high leverage act.
Even mere considerations often result in an effect far greater than the effort put in.
And when we consider the asymmetry in perceived value vs. effort it is almost absurd not to choose kindness when we can.
Sure, acts of kindness do go unnoticed and we may feel short changed too.
But someone who habitually practices kindness never goes unnoticed for long.
Deep
The quickest way out of mediocrity is to go one layer deeper than others.
Precisely one layer deeper it freaks out average artists.
Most average artists like to dip their toes in too many things. It’s fairly shallow, barely fresh and driven by boredom.
But when we decide to go deep, deeper than most other people, we get access to a wealth of untouched ideas.
It’s an easier life there than the turbulent surface.
Go deep.
Proxy
People don’t want screens. They want a distraction from boredom.
People don’t want certificates. They want a guarantee for success.
People don’t want fancy watches. They want admiration and respect.
The proxy of our desires start to feel like they matter more than their purpose.
But losing sight of purpose is when things starts to feel empty.
Purpose over proxy.