YEAH! Ignore the numbers. Write what you love & love what you write. (Who said, “You are the first reader of everything you write. Please that reader.” I think it was Anne Lamont)
Lamott always gives such good advice. Rick Rubin gives a variation of that in his latest book. He says we can only make our own offering to The Source. The truth is I was never dissatisfied with the quality of those books just the results, and that was silly of me because I had no marketing to speak of and was sharing them with the wrong audience back then. One day I’ll master the making of things without worrying about the response that’s out of my control. Step by step.
I do too. My wife and I joke when we search online for something that we're "casting chicken bones" or "praying to the great Google for the answers"...🤣🤣
I love the casting chicken bones idea! I feel like many tech bros want to be treated like high priests in the temple and then there's the way our phones are like the "idols" of the "heathens". You might like this poem I wrote a while ago about this as a take on The Lord's Prayer:
OMG!!! I love love LOVE your poem!!! I can imagine it written in olde gothic ornate (or similar) hand lettering with an extra large illustrated capital letter, and an illustrated border- like the old medieval manuscripts!!! 🤗🥰💚
Isn't it weird how we feel about certain of our works, the embarrassment or anger toward them. Could it be those works pulled us out of a rut, taught us something surprising about ourselves we were trying to avoid? Those dark little spaces came out of their closets to shine in the open world and they were so brilliant, we couldn't stand the glare of their wonder. Shine on, dear Jason.
Thanks Sue. I often put so much of my messy emotions onto my work instead of just letting them be. I’d never allow my friends of kids to treat their work like that. But this old dog is learning some new tricks
Thanks, that’s beautifully put. I was drawing erroneous conclusions from bad data too. Those books were before I had any audience or even thought of marketing. Somehow they didn’t magically sell 🤣. Plus, even though I know better to correlate quality with commercial success, I did it anyway. But you’re right, those projects did wonders for my soul when I made them.
I'm often amazed when I look back at my old artworks and can almost see the emotional history I had with them... pride when first finished, later embarrassed about them, still later realized/accepted they were a key learning point, embarrassment again, debate with self about destroying them, angrily shove it in storage, later getting it out to give away to someone who said they remember and loved it, then forgetting about all of it, then decades later seeing my old art in the person's home and feeling surprise and pride again at the art I made, what I learned and how I grew... What's interesting to me - what I try to remember- is that the people who see my work do not have my emotional baggage so they see something different!
That's some optical illusion vibe going on in the first four panels! I love them and love the accompanying haiku.
Thanks! I’ve always loved optical illusions and wanted to try making some of my own for this poem. I’m glad it worked!
YEAH! Ignore the numbers. Write what you love & love what you write. (Who said, “You are the first reader of everything you write. Please that reader.” I think it was Anne Lamont)
*Lamott* gah autocorrect!
Lamott always gives such good advice. Rick Rubin gives a variation of that in his latest book. He says we can only make our own offering to The Source. The truth is I was never dissatisfied with the quality of those books just the results, and that was silly of me because I had no marketing to speak of and was sharing them with the wrong audience back then. One day I’ll master the making of things without worrying about the response that’s out of my control. Step by step.
“We saddle our future work with our judgments about our past” ✨
Thank you for sharing with us
Thank you for reading!
"Glowing prismatic pocket Gods", that's a good observation.
Thank you! I often turn to this idea that what we do with technology is a kind of religion
I do too. My wife and I joke when we search online for something that we're "casting chicken bones" or "praying to the great Google for the answers"...🤣🤣
I love the casting chicken bones idea! I feel like many tech bros want to be treated like high priests in the temple and then there's the way our phones are like the "idols" of the "heathens". You might like this poem I wrote a while ago about this as a take on The Lord's Prayer:
The Algorithmic Prayer
Holy Algorithm in Quanta,
The machines giveth and taketh.
Glory be to the machines!
Optimize our choices.
Show us what to buy,
who we should friend,
and believe.
Never
let
us
wonder,
make mistakes,
or suffer doubts.
Lead us to money
without excess toil.
Destroy our friends with envy.
Bring us love without mystery.
A.I. is the Ultimate. Amen
OMG!!! I love love LOVE your poem!!! I can imagine it written in olde gothic ornate (or similar) hand lettering with an extra large illustrated capital letter, and an illustrated border- like the old medieval manuscripts!!! 🤗🥰💚
Isn't it weird how we feel about certain of our works, the embarrassment or anger toward them. Could it be those works pulled us out of a rut, taught us something surprising about ourselves we were trying to avoid? Those dark little spaces came out of their closets to shine in the open world and they were so brilliant, we couldn't stand the glare of their wonder. Shine on, dear Jason.
Thanks Sue. I often put so much of my messy emotions onto my work instead of just letting them be. I’d never allow my friends of kids to treat their work like that. But this old dog is learning some new tricks
Even if the books didn't sell, the act of creation accomplished its goal of setting free your soul.
Thanks, that’s beautifully put. I was drawing erroneous conclusions from bad data too. Those books were before I had any audience or even thought of marketing. Somehow they didn’t magically sell 🤣. Plus, even though I know better to correlate quality with commercial success, I did it anyway. But you’re right, those projects did wonders for my soul when I made them.
I'm often amazed when I look back at my old artworks and can almost see the emotional history I had with them... pride when first finished, later embarrassed about them, still later realized/accepted they were a key learning point, embarrassment again, debate with self about destroying them, angrily shove it in storage, later getting it out to give away to someone who said they remember and loved it, then forgetting about all of it, then decades later seeing my old art in the person's home and feeling surprise and pride again at the art I made, what I learned and how I grew... What's interesting to me - what I try to remember- is that the people who see my work do not have my emotional baggage so they see something different!
That's wise advice. It's a good thing they don't have my emotional baggage, they wouldn't have room for my art then. :)
Yes!!! Make more room for more of the art - toss emotional baggage overboard!! Splash, splash...