In “A Soft Manifesto” by Cortney Cassidy, she writes about creating as an artist in the face of Capitalism. Cortney says, “while there is value in the unplanned results of creative output, there is more long-term value in knowing what you want to say and figuring out the most effective way to say it.” This resonates with me because I feel like as an artist I can get lost in the process. The creation, the message, the delivery and ultimately who it’s for. I suppose we could argue the artist receives as much as his/her audience does in the end and probably more.

What interests me is the “long-term value in knowing what you want to say and figuring out the effective way to say it.” As I grow older, I would like to think I am a bit wiser and am able to come to the table with life experiences that enable me to not only bring a unique perspective, but to do it in such a way that I’m able to fit these “pieces of art” into a larger picture in order tell a bigger story. Maybe not.

What can be problematic for me is to worry so much about the type of art or the larger picture – I end up not creating at all. That’s the real shame. There is a part of me that subscribes to the way Apple creates it’s products. Just get it out into the public and worry about getting the bugs out later.

Maybe what’s more important is to create.

Who am I? That’s a bit much, huh? As a person – who am I? Probably many different things. A Father, brother, son, an artist, a businessman, a coach, teacher, student, hero, antagonist, friend, author, and on. Does it matter? Probably not. Not really. We may THINK it matters, but it doesn’t.

I just want to be me. Who I am. And it’s probably changed over the years. Evolved. Grown. Changed even. I’m sure of it. It’s had to. I just want to be true to who I am. I want to follow that. Sometimes I think I’ve been so influenced by my environment – both good and bad – that I can never truly become me. Or maybe that’s exactly who I need to be. The person that has been forever changed by all of his life experiences up to this point in time. After all, we don’t live in a vacuum.

Maybe what I need to do is to accept who I am. That might be a better way to spend my time. Accept who I am in this very moment. And be present in it.

Not real complicated, but nevertheless a challenge in itself.

What does it mean to be whole? Maybe it means to be fulfilled. Happy. Done with life. Satisfied. Accomplished. Evolved in every aspect of your life.

Another way of looking at it might be to be fully present in the moment. Without an agenda, wondering where this will eventually lead or asking “what I am going to get out this?” It’s not easy to remain focused in the present moment in today’s world of distractions, short attention spans and the micromanagement of social networking and responses.

Here’s an idea: Focus on the whole. The whole universe. The whole population. The whole you. You as a complete and whole entity. Already perfect as it is. One that doesn’t need to acquire anything in order to be complete. Nothing. No higher social status. No more money. No new titles. No more followers. Just an acknowledgement of being whole in this very moment.

What does that do to you? How does that make you feel?

I know what it does for me. Slows me down. It makes me want to stop the frantic race to nowhere. To breathe. To be still. To observe.

To be.

I have no scientific evidence of what music actually does to you when you listen to it. There would seem to be enough people to back me if I was to say that it releases endorphins such as serotonin in your body to change your mood – depending on what you’re listening to – and help you to feel better. It does for me. There is another more elusory element to how it effects my mind, body and soul. And to be honest, I really don’t care whether it can be proven or not. It works for me.

Music is a part of my everyday landscape. I make it that way. I believe I’m able when I hear music that resonates with me. I can. No matter what the challenge is that lies before me. That’s pretty powerful if I say so myself.

I would go as far as saying it’s a form of meditation for me. As I listen to the music, my is able to free itself up and wander aimlessly about town. Just as I like it. And from there who knows what I’ll create.

Try it sometime. I think you’ll like it.

My wife said something that resonated with me quite a bit. She said that you have a choice to “carry your sunshine with you.” What a brilliant concept. It’s another way of choosing your perspective in life. You get to decide whether to carry rain clouds around in your pockets all day or you can choose to bring out the sunshine. It’s YOUR universe. You get to pick the weather. Why not select the sun?

Often times we play the role of a passenger on a ride to a destination we don’t want to go or haven’t done our due diligence to find out where it ends. Or maybe worst of all – we don’t care.

We are where we are today because of the mix of circumstances and the choices we have made under those circumstances. I am fully aware I have a choice of the weather I want to walk through my day in. And no matter if it’s rain or shine – I take responsibility for that weather.

I’ll tell you this: I’m grabbing my sunglasses