Life is never exactly the way you want it to be. Life  is not perfect. That does not mean you can’t be happy. You can wish things were different, but that won’t do you much good. If you make avant garde art and wish that the mainstream world ‘got it’ because it is so good, that may be wishful thinking. If, on the other hand, you just concentrate on making great art and don’t worry about the way others perceive it, you will be much happier and healthier. You can bitch about the current state of the arts, but some things are beyond your control and you need to let them go. Or and this is a big piece of advice for peace of mind – do something small to correct the bigger problem.  Do what you can with what you have.

This is the time of your life.  If you ware stripped of your house, car, relationship and career, health, would you still feel worthy? These things we spend our lives working for, are they worth it? For the creative person, the answer is likely to be no. It takes a long time to create a career in the arts. Don’t waste your early years wishing you made more money, had a better car, got good giggs. Celebrate small victories and live in the here and now.  Today is a gift. Unwrap it will all the zeal you would a present on your tenth birthday. Find the joy in today. Don put off living until you get a record deal, make a million, or have a bestseller. It could a) be a long time coming and b) when you get these things, they won’t be enough. It is human nature to not be satisfied with what we have.

We have such a short time here on earth and we squander so much of it on trivial things. If only we could celebrate the small things.  You get the picture. What matters most is what is happening now. There is no there when it comes to success. There is only a series of tragic and magic moments strung together on a thin line called life.