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Your friend is very wise "Art is creating something that you want to exist, regardless of whether the world wants it or not." I would also add "art is art for its own sake." Hmm, I may have stolen that one.

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Mar 29Liked by Johnny B. Truant

Just found this post, for some reason; I love it. Which Rick Rubin book are you referring to - is it "The Creative Act: A Way of Being?"

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Weirdly, I can't find mention in this post of any Rick Rubin book (I didn't re-read it, but "Find" says no), but yes, that'd be the book. It's the only Rick Rubin book I've read.

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Powerful and empowering post about the purpose of art in our lives. What's interesting about this post is how well it resonated with my experience. I started this blog as an outlet for a particularly challenging time in my life and it was incredibly therapeutic and now I look forward to the act of writing each day and publishing weekly.

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Thank you! I'm sort of inclined to recommend Rick Rubin's book on creativity to you ... sounds like this might be the perfect time for you to hear what he has to say.

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Nice: that’s just what I needed right now. - A reminder to do something purely for the sake of enjoying doing it. I’m flexing my middle finger already!

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It's the only way to have agency when you otherwise have none!

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“I guess I shouldn’t badmouth the world. It’s the only world we’ve got. I don’t even mean it, swearing about the world. I just get frustrated. It’s like when you shout at someone you love and then apologize, telling them that you lost control there for a moment because IT’S JUST A LOT RIGHT NOW and you needed to vent.”

You know what helps? Stop watching the news. Media feeds on polarization, division and rage.

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Oh, I’m with you. I stopped watching and reading news a long time ago.

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