Don't Be Carl. Joy Whizzes. While Carl Waits.

I don't know who made that pic, but it's the internet so somebody out there has pics with what I'm sure is a hilarious caption of me in a thong selling hotdogs. It all balances out.

So I was talking to my wife about art and creativity, and how that whole thing of the tortured artist (be it writer, painter, singer, musician, dancer, etc) just won’t go the unwashed hell away. And she brought up an excellent point. “People get too wrapped up in it, in themselves; they forget about it supposedly being a joy to create. I often wonder if it’s a defense mechanism. ‘I can only be good at this if I make it more complicated and uncomfortable to deal with. If it’s easy I can’t be that good, can I?’”

 And that’s when that that thunderclap boomed. That was the Charlie Brown “THAT’S IT!” moment. I have always maintained that the choice between holding hands while walking beneath trees or holding a pen while scribbling out a story was no choice at all. Dappled sunlight, broheems, for the win.

There’s no need to wrestle God in the desert. God is like, bro, chill, I brought Funyuns. Have fun with whatever you feel like creating. Enjoy the act even when the act bogs down and gets difficult. Enjoyment doesn’t mean you become a shining Brony 24/7. Enjoy it and know that it is not you. It’s what you do. “You” are the soul packed in a meatbag that’s about to smile in the eyes of someone under the setting sun.  

Wife ended with this: “I always strive to simplify and streamline my life. Nothing should ever be that hard. I can’t understand people who dramatize and complicate everything. Just accept and be grateful, that’s when you have peace and joy.”

You get to write, paint, sing, compose, move. And if you’re lucky you get to kiss. Wrap that up and score it as a win, Bubbles.