“Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

~ Pablo Picasso

“I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind but couldn’t open up my own vault
My childlike creativity, purity and honesty
Is honestly being prodded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catchin’ up with me
Takin’ my inner child, I’m fighting for it, custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me”

~ Kanye West, Power

It’s 4:30 in the am and I’m still up, organizing my thoughts after three hours.  The process when creating this work goes in stages.  Being a writer is about writing when the creativity hits, but also when your creativity is absent.  I think about what my title is, frame my thoughts around that central idea, include a quote and sprinkle beautiful illustrations to convey my meaning.  When coming up with this topic, I thought about how the week concluded.

I thought of an artist that means a lot to me, a talent and an enigma.  You either love him or hate him, but you must respect him, Kanye West.  The artists I relate to have a mastery of their world.  Kanye is my third favourite artist in the music industry behind Tupac Shakur and Joe Budden, one and two respectively.   I have watched this video about a dozen times yesterday.  Partly because it’s candid and partly because it’s the truth, at least in his eyes.  I respect that amount of candor.  I’m not going to run down his accolades because he does a pretty decent job listing his successes himself.  I will say Kanye has never had a poor album or bit his tongue.  That’s an admirable quality.  I dislike when athletes, artists or any public figures for that matter speak their mind and under the weight of public scrutiny, they retract.  They retract the very comments that they mean.  So, they lie to cater to the masses.

When I went to film school, I was adamant about being a writer versus an actor.  Both professions suit my personality, but my privacy had to be held sacred.  I based my decision on that very premise.  It’s always a delicate struggle to be open and stay reserved.  When I shed my fear and negativity, I found myself in a great space.  Creatively my mind was sharpened and socially I was a better person for it.  I choose Kanye and this video in particular because it’s naked.  He expresses his thoughts freely without any reservation.

There’s certain aspects of this guy’s personality that I just understand and that’s partly why I’ve followed his whole career.  Music to me is paramount.  This guy’s music just resonates with me.  There’s a emotional link between the words and my brain.  I aspire to be more forthcoming.  Of late, I’ve been out of sorts – disconnected.  It’s like all the modem lights are on, but the internet isn’t connected. It’s a weird feeling, when you become an open book, your world is exposed for better or worse.  I don’t know if I’m articulating myself, but I’ve been writing for nearly a day now and it’s exhausting.  So, enjoy the video and I’ll see you Wednesday.

Carpe Diem Que

• Comments Leave a Comment
• Categories Blogging, Carpe Diem, Commentary, Life, Motivation Monday, Philosophy, Project Carpe Diem, Youtube