A novelist I admire said (I'm paraphrasing): We are taught we can be anything we want as children but, as adults, we're told repeatedly to be reasonable.
When I read that, I froze. I began to think of everything I'd been told. Did the tone change? Was there a different song I was supposed to dance to? I'm lucky because, when the answer I found was "yes", it wasn't friends/family saying it.
Society itself presses upon you the thought of impractical or wild things being childish fantasies or delusions. A job guaranteeing income, a solid business plan, a sturdy place to live your life... it goes on. We're taught anything not certain is a foolish risk, unnecessary.
But, anything worth it is a gamble. Our world has brilliance and innovation simply because someone had a scheme, a goal, that seemed too odd, too different than most.
So don't listen. Even if your entire family says you're a nut, you know the truth. Just keep moving forward and work your ass off. Someday you can be the proof of creativity's wonder, impracticality and all.
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Who (or what) keeps you going? How do you cope with naysayers?
Powerful statement! And so true. Art is rarely reasonable anyway. It's about pushing the limits and thinking outside the box. This made me think of Steve Jobs--since I just watched the movie Jobs. It was super inspiring for artists.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that movie yet but he was very inspirational, indeed.
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