You are an artist – The Icarus Deception

Just finished The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. The main takeaway: There is an artist in all of us. We can all create something unique. We should. It is our obligation to create.

Art is necessary.

One of the thesis in the book is to ship some art every day. Something you made. Something you created. Blog, vlog, post a photo, a doodle, some music you created, a poem or some lines from your own novel or nonfiction.

Write your memoirs. Share  it. You don’t need to be published to create art. You don’t need a record company,  publisher or an art gallery.  You don’t need fans. You don’t create for your fans. You create for you. But unless you share it, it is not art.

You have so many ways to publish on our own terms. Start a blog, post on FB, TikTok and Instagram, upload a podcast or vlog.Just because some people may not like it, it doesn’t mean that there will not be someone out there who does like it. Don’t listen to criticism, but don’t drown in the accolades either to start producing just to please. Then the art is lost. Do your own thing!

There are a few other books on this same subject that I recently read. I recommend all three.

• Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon. Nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Artists steal from many sources and reorganize the material into something unique. It is all based on ideas of the past mixed up into new art. It is a short mind-blowing read. Inspiring.
• The War of Art – Stephen Pressfield – Brilliant reading for all aspiring artist. I mean “You”. Pressfield writes about the Resistance and Procrastination, and how to overcome it. You have to become a professional. If you love what you do – you show up – every day. It turns you into a pro. 

So here is my own commitment to become a pro-artist. I shall ship something creativeveryday. Follow me on GunnarEngblom.com, Instagram (BirdingPeru, Guranx2, 7WondersBirding), Twitter (@kolibrix), YouTube (KolibriExpeditions & Guranx2), TikTok (Guranx2) and Facebook (Gunnar Engblom, Kolibri Expeditions, 7 Wonders Birding and Guran Guran).

Where do you publish your art? Let me know in the comment section.