Published on shivaprasadv.wordpress.com, Nov 2020.
You are not a genius artist. Not Now! Not Yet! Not in the way, imagination flows through every vein of your existence to create magical, lyrical, gorgeous, profound, moving pieces of art. Not Masterpieces! Not yet! But those breed of ingenious magicians are rare. Or, if it helps you, believe that way! A huge chunk of them do struggle with it, struggle for it, mull over it, fight their blocks, stimulate their creativity, persist in harder times, push through pain, challenge their misgivings and often exceed their own lofty expectations. So could you! If you try! If you believe!
Believe in habits, in processes, in structure, in hard work, in failure, in learning, in art, and in life. Believe you must, believe you do! Believe in your thoughts, feelings, emotions. Live them, direct them, dissect them, renew them. Believe in the conscious, sub conscious, unconscious. Believe in patience, perseverance and passion. Believe in repetition, iteration and evolution.
Because, there is no better means for you to work for humanity than to do art. There is no better job where you can express, educate, impress, resonate, accept, redefine, rejoice and redeem yourself. There is no other channel to propel your angst, dispel your demons, protect your identity, and defend your freedom.
If all you want in life — knowing the rarity of it, the preciousness of it, the miraculous probability of it — is to fulfill your potential, be uniquely you and LIVE it. Then, there is no better means, than to be an Artist!
Now that, this is fixed, like they all say, go figure out your why!
Now wait! If this doesn’t justify enough for the WHY, what will ?!?
Now in Aug 2026
Don't let anybody tell you that you are not an Artist. Don't let anybody limit your potential as an artist. Not your best of allies, not your well-wishers. Not even your partner in sin, not even your best of kin. Not even your own fucking self. Never. Not even at the worst of fucking times. Ever.
The spirit of an artist lies in the freedom. Freedom to think, Freedom to move, Freedom to question, Freedom to create, Freedom to live. Live Free, Create Free, Dream Free, Be Free. Free of notion, Free of will, Free of expectation, Free of inheritance, Free of devotion, Free of absolution, Free of domination, Free of subjugation.
The only commitment is to the Innocence, to the Curiosity, to the Discovery, to the Invention, to the Truth. Be Free to act on, Be Free to let go. Be Free!
— Shiva