Anarchy Journal Constitutional

It’s natural to want to be externally successful at what we do.

In the era of social media, that desire is exploited and gaslit at historic levels

I find the Hemingway quote, “be prepared to work always without applause” to be as close to the perfect piece of life advice as there is. It’s not negative. It’s not cynical. It’s honest. It’s fair. It’s objective. It’s true.

I’ve also always liked the term passion project.

Doing creative/artistic work is hard and there is no objective standard of quality.

Personal taste is not up for debate.

So how do we know if we’re good? How do we know if we’re successful? How do we know if we’re on the right path? Capitalist controlled cultures would point to money, fame, influence, clout, etc. Does that mean those are the only good creatives?

Perfectionism is the trap we put ourselves in to shield from external judgement. Not only from external criticism but from external success, and lack thereof.

If we’re creating from our ego, we need the success. It’s not about the work, it’s about the result. It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination. It’s not about the depth, it’s about the shallow features. It’s not about what’s real, it’s about the facade. It’s not about originality, it’s about clap trap zeitgeist.

Get those numbers up, so they can be used as a pillars of humble brags and how to listicles. How can I monetize this? Monetize what? ANYTHING! EVERYTHING!

The work is the win. Creating is the purpose. It’s so much better when we come from that place. Because then we’re not chasing. We’re not selling. We’re creating. We’re contributing. We’re being authentic. We’re being real. We are being.