Pretend you’re a tough guy

Strange ideas are better than stupid ones

I am not listening to you anymore

Over your lifetime, your little brain has collected information that you have collated, catalogued and categorized until you created a story. Each person has a different way of viewing experiences, so the stories created are unique and different. we all have stories to tell.

Governments and corporations are forever creating stories for us. Many people are happy with this situation, because it saves them the effort of organising and interpreting their information. Stories are often repeated so that they become familiar patterns in your brain. After a while, they become  firmly cemented in your head and not only do you believe the myths you have ben fed, you will fight for them.

Life is a series of stories. Everybody has lots and lots of stories that they could bore you with. A story does not have to be based on an event, in can simply be an interpretation of life or an abstract idea – insightful or idiotic, it does not matter.

Now there are a lot of desperately unhappy folks out there, frantically seeking answers to their unfinished stories. They will eagerly thrust their problems, (I mean stories) upon any half-interested listener. Sometimes they are hard to escape from, sometimes the unwary listener is swept up in the story and takes it on as if it is part of their life.

People with causes are forever trying to get you to believe their stories and to join them in their quest to climb to the top of an invented mountain. Religions offer a rigid set of stories along with powerful emotional hooks that draw you in.

An artist has to write his own stories. He does not have to borrow or believe what others tell him. You are writing your story as your art progresses and then one day, you will have a fascinating tale to share with the world.

Ignore them, they're not clever like you

Every single person, including you, is capable of doing something that makes them unique. You have some sort of skill, talent, natural ability that is yours alone.

It might be a painting; words of wisdom that could be compiled into a book; a physical action like dancing; an exquisite sense of smell or colour; whatever… you understand something that nobody else understands. You have a special ability that nobody else has.

It may even be a personality trait such as smooth talking, selling your ideas, stubbornly holding to an idea until it becomes a fact, an extraordinary imagination…

You have done and can do amazing things. You have an individual way of expressing life. Think about it. Stop playing humble guy and bring your ability to the forefront. Then exploit it!

When you allow your uninhibited self to express you will find that you even impress yourself. Your most powerful expressions have been done without props, without any help at all. They came from your heart. Your abilities are free, they are the extras that came with you.

Find your talent, refine it and make some money from it! You are cleverer than you think.

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Follow that wispy thread of an idea

Sometimes I get a really good idea. That’s easy, I do something about it. It does not necessarily work or convert to dollars. (I find that dollars from ideas is useful, since I need to eat and do those human things that get in the way of freedom!)

Fortunately, My wife, Lina does put ideas on paper, hers as well as mine, so not all is lost! A small idea can be fun to pursue. It does not have to be practical. Glimpses of imaginative opportunities can open the way to new, creative ways of doing things. 

Creative ideas demand action

So what do you do when you get a good idea? Do you think about it for a while? Do you put it on the list of all the to-do-laters that you have hidden in your computer files? Or do you do something about it?

What do I do? I let it bounce around my brain for a day or two. If it is still there and it is exciting some passion, I start to talk about it and share it. If new ideas keep raining down to expand it, I commit!

This week I got a new idea and I did all of those things. Today the idea is in place and ready for action.

I love considering way-out abstract ideas on life. I do not like conventional philosophies and I certainly have no time for dogma. I love the thrill of letting my mind entertain ridiculous concepts and watching them twist and turn until they become imaginative possibilities. I have written a few short articles and produced a few DVD’s on these odd thoughts. (They have not been presented to the public as yet).

This was my idea: create a website that allows visitors to submit their own strange stories. Put a limit of 200 words (because we all have limited attention spans). Then go! The site encourages new perspectives on life. I won’t post any boring reruns or clichés. I am looking for new and imaginative, articles that take the reader into new ground.

The moral of the story. If you get a good idea, do something with it!
Have a look at my creepy site – undergrounddelights.com

Creative Ways to avoid frustration

During a long sparring session at my Tae Kwon Do class, one of my friends injured his toe quite badly. His sparring partner came up and apologised. N said no need to apologise, it was his own fault. I thought about this simple but honourable statement.

Since it is my choice to be in a group that likes fighting, then I am responsible for whatever happens to me. I’m the crazy old man who wants to spar the young heroes. If I am hit or kicked or whatever, then it’s my problem. (Apart from the fact that I should be experienced enough to avoid such uncomfortable situations).

Likewise in everyday situations, didn’t I choose most of the things in my life? Didn’t I choose to go to work, the type of work? Wasn’t it my choice to be married or single? Didn’t I allow my attention to be distracted just before I had the accident? Didn’t I decide to drive the car?

We are all responsible for our own lives. It is not your fault for many of the things that happen to you. It’s just that your decisions put you wherever you are. This is a hard pill to swallow. It is difficult to accept responsibility for every moment of your life.

It does not mean that you cannot blame others for something they may have done to you, but it means that you need to accept what happens to you and get on with it!

We all have difficult situations. Regardless of who caused the problem, it is your responsibility to accept the way the cards fell and deal with them accordingly. Accept what happens and then do something with it. Life is your responsibility, but not necessarily your fault!

With your art, you probably will not become the greatest artist in the world, life did not deal you such a fate. However, you can use what strengths you have and build on them. It is useless to think, if only…

Wishing will only make you frustrated and slow your progress. It is your responsibility to work with what you have, not with what you wish was true! Take responsibility for the situation you are in and develop your skills on that.

We all have limitations, too bad, that’s just the way it is, accept them.

My dark creative blog side

Hidden in the dark depths of your being, there is something waiting to be uncovered. There is a part of you that lies sleeping in the shadows. You need to face it and wake it.

It is not really hidden, just ignored. It is the naturally creative aspect of your character that you have not awoken yet. It is that part of you that makes you unique and special.

You have insights and talent in a particular direction that are peculiar to you. Peculiar because it is that individual part of your character that society will label as weird. Dreary, unimaginative society does not want to encourage your creative individuality, it likes everyone to be ‘normal’. Society likes conformity and predictability. It talks about individuality, but mocks it when it arrives.

You have natural abilities. You understand some things better than most do. It is most likely something that you find interesting. Something that you have already experienced or witnessed or learnt. There is something that you find particularly enjoyable and want to know more about. You already have an exceptional talent that needs to be awakened, to make you an expert in something.

Find out what it is! It will give you the direction you need to focus upon. It may be cooking cupcakes or helping old people or telling stories or even writing or drawing. Whatever it is, you need to make it clear to yourself. You need to acknowledge this hidden secret within and bring it out into the light so that you become the unique something that you naturally are!

When you recognise it, do something about it. It needs to be brought into your world and aroused through patience and practice. It is a revelation of yourself and since you will be working with yourself for the rest of your life, you may as well take advantage of it!

The dark side of your creativity is waiting for you.

Make some quiet time for yourself. Then ask:
‘Who am I? What do I love to do? What do I really yearn to be?‘
Wait in the quietness and listen, as ideas bubble up from the dark side of your creativity into the light of day. Do this often and you may be surprised to learn who you really are!

Creative choices

When you get a creative idea:

• you can think about it
• you can ignore it.

Ideas can be:
• opportunities knocking
• time wasters
• trouble makers

Taking action on an idea is always a risk. There are no guaranteed outcomes. Nobody has a 100% success rate. Ideas fail and ideas succeed.

Good ideas that are not pursued are failures. Risks not taken are failures. Thinking without action is failure.

At least try when you get an idea or you have failed before you even began. Failures are not always disasters, in fact often they create success in another direction. I am the the oldest and the slowest black belt in my class, but I am fit, flexible and part of a pleasant group sharing a common interest. I fail at being the best and succeed by being there.

If you want to be an artist, you don’t have to be the best in the world, you have to be the best that you can be. That comes through practice. However, if after a lot of trying you are still not good enough… well, too bad, you tried. Now have a look around and try something else. It’s that simple.

Your mind makes a big emotional deal about failure. Your pride stops you giving up and trying something new. And really, that’s pretty stupid behavior, typical of humanity.

Some things are simply not in your life’s pattern. Some ideas lead into situations where you feel that you are wearing someone else’s clothes, they are just not right. That’s how life goes. You don’t have to make a big deal of it. Change!

At least try a new idea that seems exciting but you don’t have to cling to it as if it is your only hope for success. You will always have new ideas, chances to express new creativity, it’s all a part of this crazy adventure called life.

So let’s finish on this reassuring note: life leads nowhere and offers no guarantees when you arrive.