some of my friends seem to be having hard times lately... everyone has been kind of in a bummer mood today, at least.
today, when i briefly asked a friend how he was doing, he immediately started spouting off his doubts, frustrations and worries for the future.... complaining about his feelings regarding his lack of impact in the world, not knowing what he was doing with his life, feeling unsuccessful and useless, yada yada...
"are you really going to make me give you a pep talk right now?" i asked.
i wasn't prepared for this soul searching conversation with my musically talented friend, [who is in a popular and successful SF band], at this very moment in time. i wasn't thinking clearly. i wasn't focused. i wished i had had a script pre-written with words of wisdom to give immediately off hand.
"you're an inspiration to our friends and families! you're talented. you're living the dream."
(some words to that effect blurted out of my mouth all at once.)
(i forget that other people have mental break downs at times. sometimes i guess i think i'm the only one.)
this would have been my perfect time to shine and spit out some meaningful sentences of advice, encouragement, intelligence, care....
instead....
i went to my computer and looked up an old e-mail i've been saving in my inbox from Chor Boogie -- a san francisco artist that i'm greatly inspired by.
(((a little bit of background history: a couple of years ago, i found out about him through Project One Gallery. my boyfriend[of the time]'s mother worked as an interior designer at a firm right down the street, knew i was an artist and told me i had to show my art there some day.
"your work would fit right in," she told me.
i checked out the gallery and later on the gallery website, and learned about several new artists, all of whom i am now a big fan of today. chor boogie didn't have work up when i went into the p1sf gallery for the first time, but he was on their website, and i was automatically drawn to his brightly colorful, spiritually uplifting work.
i started researching him... exploring images of his paintings and murals online... reading articles about him... going over his artist bio.
"this guy is legit," i thought.
so i wrote him an e-mail. why not?
i wanted to know how he did it. how he became a working, breathing, valuable, living artist. it's not an easy task. i wanted to know if he could give me advice. encouragement. support. anything. i needed help. i was feeling stuck. i didn't know how to take the next steps in my life and career as an artist. i didn't know how to get into the art scene or how to even appear somewhat enticing to the art scene.)))
chor's response to me:
NICE WORK.... STAR
WELL WHEN I ASKED AN ESTABLISHED ARTIST THIS SAME QUESTION YEARS AGO... I WAS TOLD ..
MARKETING..
. PROMOTING YOURSELF IS A MAJOR KEY TO SUCCESS... ITS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN WHEN IT COMES TO FACE VALUE...
ME PERSONALLY..MY BELIEF SYSTEM HAS MUCH TO DO WITH IT AS WELL...SO IF YOU ARE DEDICATED AND DISCIPLINED IN YOUR WORK....AND BELIEVE IN YOU SO MUCH WITH OUT A DOUBT... THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS...
UNDERSTANDING THOUGH...
ITS NOT ALL ABOUT THE FAME... SUCCESS....AND MONEY
REALIZING YOU DID NOT START THIS MAKING MONEY OR BREACHED SUDDEN SUCCESS..
YOU ARE BLESSED WITH A GIFT... RESPECT IT..DON'T LET YOUR EXPECTATIONS GET IN THE WAY...IF THERE IS NO FAME OR MONEY... REGARDLESS... KEEP PAINTING AND BEING CREATIVE..
ALL THE ADDITIONAL FLAVOR THAT COMES WITH THE TALENT..FOLLOWS...AND WHEN THERE IS FAME AND MONEY... YOU CONTROL IT...DON'T LET IT CONTROL YOU MENTALLY ,PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.
ESTABLISH AN UNDERSTANDING AND A MEANING FOR YOUR WORK WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU...
LET THE WORLD KNOW WHAT THAT MEANING IS...
PATIENCE... AND TRUST..STAR...
point being -- when my friend came to me in his time of doubt, his moment of confusion, feeling like he wasn't valuable, as though he wasn't making a significant impact, or doing enough in the world... i couldn't find many words to inspire him with off the top of my head. i resorted to the words of inspiration that someone else gave me in my time of need. and in his e-mail, he referenced someone else he had asked for advice, in his own time of need.
i've kept that e-mail in my inbox for almost two years now. i refer back to it when i'm feeling lost or forgetting who i am and where i'm going. i was happy to be able to share it with my friend. and now, i'm happy to be able to share it with you.
this story keeps going though... (i know, i talk a lot.)
later on in the day, i get a private facebook message from a guy that lives with another friend of mine in sf. he's in a band, [one of which i've never seen or heard before], he's feeling like they're in a rut, he doesn't know how to reach out to the community, book more shows, get more fans, etc...
i rarely talk to this guy. heck, i've met him like 3x, maybe? but he sought me out just to ask for how he could get in touch with the very band that my friend from earlier in the day was worried about. the guy who sent me the facebook message wanted to know how to make a bigger impact. how to get people interested. he wanted advice and direct connections specifically to and from the band that my housemate is in -- the housemate who was freaking out about his own life from earlier today.
i smiled when i read the facebook message.
everything happens as it should.
i wrote a message responding to the guy on facebook, telling him to make great music, perform it well, and believe in what he was doing. and to top it off, i sent him a quote from my inspirational chor boogie e-mail.
i forwarded the facebook message to all of the band members he was seeking advice from (-- i'm just going to go ahead and say their name now -- BATTLEHOOCH). i wrote my own message to go along with it, first congratulating them on their upcoming show at a popular sf venue -- The Independent!!! i receive their e-mail newsletters with show calendar updates and also found out today that they're officially booked to headline there on july 1st of this year! what a milestone! that venue is awesome and i've seen many wonderful shows there. so stoked to have the boys make an epic musical performance there.
"I just thought I'd make it known that your music is inspirational, fun, and attractive to people. Your performances are equally important, impacting, and influential to people. And together, Battlehooch brings people together, gets people dancing, and proves that art and music can be whatever we want it to be -- you just have to go out there and make it, share it, believe in it, and do it.
Do it guys.
"I just thought I'd make it known that your music is inspirational, fun, and attractive to people. Your performances are equally important, impacting, and influential to people. And together, Battlehooch brings people together, gets people dancing, and proves that art and music can be whatever we want it to be -- you just have to go out there and make it, share it, believe in it, and do it.
Do it guys.
Thank you for being an inspiration and means of bringing friends and families together guys <3 You're family to me.
love love love,
dk
xoxoxoxoxo"
i feel like singin' that one song, "Home," by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:
"Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you"
i feel like singin' that one song, "Home," by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:
"Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you"
along with that electronic deed of the day, i also updated my personal facebook status to something i'm sure all the ladies in my life don't hear nearly often enough:
you're beautiful.
lastly, i just wouldn't feel right without posting my favorite songs today that have been on repeat, probably driving my housemates nuts:
Feather by Little Dragon
Composure by Warpaint
and
Lover's Spit by Broken Social Scene
inspire.
lastly, i just wouldn't feel right without posting my favorite songs today that have been on repeat, probably driving my housemates nuts:
Feather by Little Dragon
Composure by Warpaint
and
Lover's Spit by Broken Social Scene
inspire.
