Chase Your Vision

Art isn't paint by numbers

I had a great talk with my friend Mike yesterday, and we riffed about what he was working on, and I talked about why I was fascinated with the same thing (nerdy stuff around data arbitrage). It was fun because it was way off the road from more obvious business solutions, and for some reason, it tied into this thinking I’ve had lately about art.

The rest of today’s letter to you comes from a message from an online photography friend, Arty, Mel Brooks (mister 2000 year old man himself), and oddly enough, Bruce Springsteen.

Internet Critics Stink. We Know That.

(Believe it or not, this is a picture of a trash truck. My camera missed focus, but I liked the result more.)

My buddy Arty has a YouTube channel where he shows off seascape photography. It’s his passion. He travels all around Korea finding unique minimalist compositions and photographs them, all while making videos that bring joy to his viewership.

Some jerkburger left a comment on his channel telling Arty to move on and try and find other things to photography and that “nobody” wants to see the same old seascapes every single week. Arty was very polite in responding to this stranger, and when he and I talked about it, I said mean words about the random stranger, and reinforced Arty’s passions for what he photographs. Imagine telling an artist not to make the art they like to create.

You Couldn’t Make That Movie Today

I watched the first episode of Judd Apatow’s Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man on HBO Max (or whatever they call it this week). Out of many things discussed, the oft repeated comment came up about Blazing Saddles: “you couldn’t make a movie like that today.” And that’s true.

But what was fun about the documentary was seeing how many people were involved in it, how Richard Pryor wrote it with Mel, how many people found it to be a masterwork of addressing material people were too afraid to talk about. And in many of Mel Brooks’s other works, that theme is also true. He just pushed to say things he felt were funny but also poignant, and had to fight for his vision the entire way.

A Quick Detour to Nebraska

I admire Bruce Springsteen, but I’ve never been the biggest fan. I like the idea of him more than I actually like the end product, if that makes sense. And I like him, and his sensibilities, and I feel he’s a real artist.

This comes after watching that new biopic starring (what I thought would be improbably) Jeremy Allen White as the Boss. Deliver Me from Nowhere, it was called, and it’s about how Springsteen was bucking the inevitability of his own fame, and scuttled his own trajectory a bit to demand that his music team put out an album that he wrote in a bedroom called Nebraska.

The record label wanted a ton of hits. Bruce wasn’t ready. He felt this strong need to release something “pure,” in his mind. And he recorded Nebraska on a four track tape machine in his bedroom (which is good for demo tapes, but not how albums are recorded).

While the world wanted another top 40 radio single, Bruce knew what he had to do. No tour. No press. Just put the album out. Let it go where it wanted to go. Despite all that, it hit number 3 on the charts. People wanted Bruce, and they went along for the ride.

When You Feel What You Feel - When You Have a Vision

Never let someone steer you off course from your path when you’re feeling strongly about it. Until you’ve produced “it,” they haven’t seen it. No one has. And if it’s new, unknown, a whole different thing, why would you let other people judge it anyway?

Create from within. Chase your vision. Produce.

And just in case you aren’t in that mode? Well, then roll along and try whatever, explore, follow something else.

But the moment you feel like you’re onto something, go after it. And don’t let others dissuade you.

That’s the message. Brought to you by, uh, Bruce Springsteen, Mel Brooks, Arty Lee’s jerky commenter, Mike, and your old pal Chris.

Cool?

MY OTHER PROJECTS

Photography as Meditation - about meditation and mental health through snapping photos.

Off Screen Life - about getting away from our devices for a bit to observe and reflect and reset.

The Backpack Show - weekly interview show seeking success insights from unusual places.

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Chris…