There are some weeks that seem to float by without a care. Other weeks feel heavy and exhausting. This past week was more of the former.
Art is about creation. Creation rarely happens without some sort of destruction; transforming a shard of clay into a vase, or career expectations for a pursuit of passion. The ordinary rarely takes our breath away. It’s these bursts of art that inspire, move, and stir the most.
As I’ve been putting together the foundations for a new shirt venture, there have been a lot of fears that have surfaced. Common questions of failure and doubt have been giving their voice lately.
The Greeks had a smart method for maintaining sanity checks. It was called the “daemon” and was thought to be the part of your consciousness responsible for moments of genius, or artistic expression. When an artist created a masterpiece, they would attribute the credit to their daemon, to remain humble. During the moments inspiration was scarce, they’d sleep in peace, knowing their daemon simply wasn’t present.
Steve recently chatted with me about this process of vetting out your fears:
“Aaron, as your consciousness grows, you start to recognize a palace full of your character, memories, and emotion, including your demons. When you take control and conquer the demons, you’re still left with the palace.”
The words hit me like a hammer. Fear manifests itself in many forms, including its’ own interpretation of your past, which it whispers into your ear. Love conquers this fear. You just have to take the first step.
I met a man, this week, who shared some wisdom with me.
“Aaron, what do the words ‘trust’ ‘faith’ and ‘love’ have in common?” They’re all the same word.”
Mel
Wonderful writing.