benlehman | (no subject)

(no subject)

A lot of people recently talking about what I should be doing, how I should be doing my art, what I owe to them and a "community" that only exists in our heads and hearts.

Remember what Chris said once: No one has a right to your body but you. I think it goes double this way: No one has a right to your mind but you.

Remember that people beholden to the Man want you to be more like them.

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Here's what you should be doing: whatever the hell you feel driven to do. :)

Hell, yeah. I ran into this all the fucking time back when I took creative writing courses. "Well, you shouldn't be wasting your time on science fiction..." According to who, now? Why am I obligated to write what you consider valid?

Huh. Thanks.

...

*thinks long and hard*

Where is that icon from?

Be well.

The failing of the pedestal is that you're never beholden to be yourself, but to be what others want or need you to be. People get really upset when you decide you'd rather be yourself...

I'm not one of the voices telling you what to do and don't plan to be.

That said, you didn't get where you are alone. You climbed up the backs of other people, learned from their mistakes, and benefited from associations with this group of people (dare I say "community"?) in many ways: emotionally, creatively, financially.

You can take everything they've given you and be content with that and never give them anything in return. Presumably, even, you've already given them something in return. As long as you feel you've given as much as you've taken, hey, cool. If not, think about it and keep giving back.

I'd rather have the cool thing you create than get my vicarious jollies watching you sweat over it. If there's a truth about art, it's that no two people do it the same way.

I wish you much luck in finding your own bliss.

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