create whats waiting for you
i have posted before that i think you are an artist before you ever make a painting or song or book. i understand it is a unique perspective and that is okay, but i am thinking on it again. specifically on how it relates to my perspective on grief and death
when i answer 'what makes you a creator?' with 'you are a creator before you ever start' it makes some folks upset or make fun of chuck. that is okay it is a big philosophical swing, but i think best way to explain would be to actually look at TIME ITSELF. specifically question: what is the present?
our perception is always a memory, a split second one from the 'now', so i am just as much present here as i am myself at 4, or 14, or 24 or 94. the dr manhattan meme is actually true, and we are all just bound by a focus on the 'present.' and guess what, the creative act STARTS when existence does
anyway, i started believing this about ART when i had a realization about DEATH. when someone we love trots to the next timeline, we become obsessed with their final moments as if they have more weight. if someone dies in a tragic way, we kind of let that start to define them. this bothers me
because once they are gone they are in EVERY moment. there is no reason that THE END, this tiny sliver of existence that is barely visible within the whole pie, should be worth more than all the love and joy on the way. when we are gone we are every moment, and when we are here we are every moment
tonight i just trotted back from seeing a family member who is about to leave this timeline. probably last time i will see them, and as i was in their room i was thankful i did not need to look around and tell myself 'this is the last time, i better appreciate this place', because i already DID
this final visit was also the first visit, and the second, and the twenty fourth. the are all the same, and when you live with gratitude for the small moments you ALREADY APPRECIATE THEM. you do not need to prove anything at the end. there is not catchup. i believe deeply that this is true
and this is another reason why i think ARTISTS are valid whether they have started or not. their piece is already out there in the unknown. we are all here right now reading these words, and we are also all on the next timeline looking back. hope this inspires you to create whats waiting for you