Great story

Few things to remember when you fuck up.

1. You’ll be okay. It won’t feel like it in the moment, but you will be okay.

2. When you’re eventually okay, you’ll have something to talk about.

3. The greater the fuck up, the greater the story.

Keep going.

Frame

The boundaries of my daily posts are:

1. Observations on emotions

2. Targeted towards fellow artists

3. Contained within a phone screen

4. Published daily.

These save me from making unnecessary decisions like - should I write today? How should I deliver it? Who should it concern?

By defining these boundaries, my energy is spent thinking about the main idea, rather than wavering on the basic format.

If you seek a cohesive body of work, set some thoughtful limitations then execute it.

Your limitations paradoxically become a frame for your ideas to thrive in.

Introversion

I feel my personality has done a 180 since my teenage years.

Or maybe I was just trying to be someone I wasn’t.

I grew up in a culture that believed extraversion was unquestionably the better personality trait.

So I spent much of my life convincing myself I could be extraverted.

And this has cost me a lot of happiness.

Being extraverted is neither better nor worse than introversion, and both shine for different reasons.

You have every reason to love how you are.

Eureka

Style isn’t something we plan.

It emerges out of the chaos of creativity.

And those who tirelessly show up, endlessly experiment and embrace unfamiliar approaches all know a particular moment.

That moment when the muse strikes us in a moment of thundering clarity, and we say:

This it.

This is me.

Materialism

Materialism in the west is an easy measure of success to understand. More = better.

But what is harder to measure in a materialistic paradigm, is the value that we offer on a deeper human level.

The ability to listen, care and connect with one another.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be an issue if material wealth correlated with happiness to infinity.

But Nobel Prize winning economist Professor Kahneman shows, our happiness only correlates with wealth up to a certain point. (Around $70,000/year).

Excess wealth brings with it a proportionate amounts of pain to its luxuries.

More money, more problems.

Bento

“Oh isn’t this adorable”

I can still recall the day my primary school teacher showcased my little bento box to the entire class.

My mum had got up early to craft my first ever lunch box. She filled it with seaweed wrapped rice balls.

And as I opened my bento box, a panic set in. No one else had rice balls, everyone had square, peanut butter jelly sandwiches.

Then feeling like curling up and dying as my teacher made a song and dance of it.

Ironically today, a bento box at work would get a little ‘ohhh’ and an ‘ahhh’.

And the things that once made us feel out of place often ends up becoming our unique charm.

Gratification

A rule of thumb that’s helping me know if my time is well spent.

The more effortless a pleasure, the more addictive and less constructive.

Screens, junk food, drink/drugs, griping, gambling, mindless shopping.

But the more effortful, the more likely it is to build something meaningful later.

Exercise, developing skill, making time for family/friends, solving problems..

And i’ll be the first to admit when I’m not conscious of my actions, my lizard brain will revert straight back to easy pleasure.

And that gratification is less gratifying when it becomes the default option.

Rest

Sometimes, it’s what you need.

Same in and within music.

Dream

Dreaming is a skill.

Reaching inwards and asking what you’d like to leave behind takes practice.

With every new milestone, achievement, asset, system in place the terms of how we dream change.

And to keep evolving our dream without stagnation takes practice.

With every new chapter comes doubt, insecurity, stress, hate, failure..

But to maintain optimism and resilience amidst this takes practice.

Dreaming is a skill.

And I hope you practice it too.

Appreciation

A foot bridge near my house has received a lick of new paint.

It’s taken three chaps clad in orange suits three full days to finish re-painting it.

I happened to pass by everyday and saw the process from start to finish.

The men would crack on in silence without a hint of a facial expression.

On the last day, as they were finishing up I thought I’d let them know it looked really nice.

And one of them broke into a small smile, responding “hearing that really makes a difference”.

Appreciation brings more meaning to every walk of life.

Professional

Is it a certificate?

Is it when we’re paid?

Is it when we sound a certain way?

Or maybe it’s when we show up even when we don’t feel like it.

Alter Doggo

I often wonder why dogs end up looking like their owners.

Maybe we’re drawn to dogs that remind us of ourselves.

Or maybe we start to adopt each other’s characteristics as we connect.

Whatever it is, it reminds me of how the most loving artists and fans leave an impression on one another.

Audience

When does a stranger become an audience?

When they’ve listened to us once?

When they start following us on socials?

When they’ve seen us at a gig?

Maybe it’s any moment someone’s willing to listen to what we have to say.

And in that moment, it’s worth saying something for both of us, not just ourselves.

Needle

I saw a girl come in the emergency department with spectacular tattoos.

Full sleeve both arms and up to her neck, even piercings on every piece of facial cartilage.

But when we told her we’d need a drop of blood for tests, she broke down into tears.

She was scared of needles.

But amidst the crushing irony I could believe that..

To her, a needle in a parlour represented beauty, whereas in hospital her mortality.

At least, this helped me feel less judgemental about it.

Grace

Ray is a nervous dog. And unfortunately, he will bark at any dog larger than him.

Fortunately most dogs are graceful enough to not bite. They have no real reason to.

When a stranger barks, it’s entirely up to us to take offence or leave it.

But taking bait is seldom graceful. Taking it means we felt threatened by the small dog.

The classiest thing to do is to deny what barking strangers want most - attention.

Keep it classy.

Pristine

Within the sprawling landscape of Kew Gardens stands a giant green house called the Palm House.

It is floor-to-ceiling glass panes, with a chaotic display of tropical plants inside.

The surface is covered with emerald patina and the space bursts with good vibes.

This place is everything pristine is scared of.

To wear its blemishes proudly, to allow uncertainty shape its personality, and to embrace imperfection.

And maybe when we get over a fragile priority like pristine..

We could grow like the Palm House too.

Carrot

I am definitely addicted to my phone.

But I take advantage of this by dangling it behind my morning routine.

Shower, meditate, practice instrument. All before I let myself pick up the phone.

This makes sure I get a few things done before I get screen time.

But having done this for a few months.. the real carrot is the peace I feel from a screen free start to my day.

Manual

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of hefty manuals.

And when an idea requires an incredibly long preamble to understand, it zaps the joy out of it for me.

Creating simple ideas that bang is not an act of laziness.

Simple ideas that smack you in the soul follows enormous efforts refining what the idea is.

And giving ideas a chance to fly require us to unshackle it from the burden of cumbersome explanations.

Glass

All ego is made of glass.

It is transparent, and smashes easily.

Calling someones ego fragile is like saying the sky is blue. The ego by definition needs to uphold itself.

So where we fall short is pretending like we don’t even have an ego, and miss the opportunity to address its fragility.

In reality, every one has one and is carelessly smashing it into each other.

Handle with care.

Vulnerability

What do you care about?

Is it obvious from what you create?

Do you feel vulnerable when you share it?

Because if you do, you’re right on track.