MANIFESTO

Hold on, not so fast! Before you get to read this, you need to select your soundtrack. First, the original indie rock song, and right after, the metal version, if you are so inclined. Hit play and wait for the voice to kick in.

I took out my pen and pad
And set to write my manifesto

This is, in part a reason for why I’m here writing at night, while also being a reason for you to read this.
Take it as a statement of intent: this place is all about sharing appreciation of art, in its many forms. It’s a glossary of the things I love enough to inspire me so that I never lose them when they get trampled by some algorithm built by a tech giant to generate profit. Can the appreciation of art make you creative? I can’t postulate this for everyone, but in my case, this appreciation is my life’s fuel.

Tell me I’m alive
Show me I am human

Above all things, I value honesty, and honesty is what makes real art. Not manufactured content, but real, sincere art. To get there, you need to cut through a thick layer of molasses boiling with mass media, procedurally generated images, deep fakes, and statistical algorithms of success. Real art comes from a complete detachment from expectations, a subversion of them if you will. True human expression thrives on that, and true artists know how to harness it. You and I are here because of our mutual appreciation of their efforts.

I had a revelation
I was told a lie
Live to consume
Work to buy and then die

Whatever you do in life, strive to create. It starts with something as basic as cooking a meal and can grow into a literary magnum opus. Don’t just be a consumer, harness your energy to build around yourself. Take however little you have, and make your own heaven out of it. Who knows, maybe others will join in on your efforts, and together you go on to do great things. Bland consumerism is truly a black hole for the soul. Accepting, or worse, struggling to attain, whatever is force-fed to you by your environment will never give you fulfillment.

Who made these fucking rules
And said that I was born to live by?

Recently, the major decisions I’ve made would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago. This has allowed me to flourish in ways I have not anticipated. So I’ve made the decision to keep going against the grain, and I urge you to do the same. Just follow your intuition and don’t dwell too much on the past. Changes don’t have to be major, to begin with at least.

• The book you are reading gets boring? Throw it away and start a new one.
• Do you hate your job? Find another one or take a sabbatical.
• You don’t get along with your kids? Approach them differently.
• You don’t like the color of your skin? Get a tattoo.
• Do you want more money? Work more, or use your time smarter.
• Do you want new friends? Volunteer at a charity.
• Do you feel out of place? Create a place for yourself and bring others on board.
• Do you hate the government? Get out on the street with a bigass sign.

There aren’t that many universal rules that limit what you can do. The most barriers you face are the ones you build yourself.

… And never let yourself stop creating.

Featured image credits: Grayson Perry RA – Red Alan’s Manifesto