All by Aiden Fishbein

Action & Habit: Eat an Elephant and Brush Your Teeth

If you are like me, you cringe when someone uses the term "life-hack". And to make things worse, the folks who beat it to death are typically those douchey, over-amped, keynote-speaker types who claim that theirbundle of hacks "will hands down revolutionize the entirety of your existence as you now live it!".

I've come to learn a chunk about people like these. I've also come to learn a thing or two about perspective, specifically the kind of inspired and optimistic perspective that begets action. These motivational-speed-freaks are obviously doing something right, because they're as rich as a buttered tit, but are their hacks really the keys to their kingdom? Have they really stumbled upon a truth or framework for success that was previously completely unknown?

The Well Fed Artist vs. The Sage Creative

I was having a conversation with a dear friend recently about the age-old “being a sell-out” concept. During the course of this chit chat I “think” I may have stumbled onto something. This thing is not only a new personal philosophy, but also a point of worthwhile consideration for ANY and ALL creatives: how does one make art, not “sell-out”, and remain well-fed physically and emotionally?

Indulge me as I answer this question in as round-about a way as possible. First, allow me to illustrate an evolution that I see all the time with creatives:

The 9-5: The Neverending Experiment

We are now at the first turning point. Our hero had set out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in search of the promised land, and come face to face with a most fearsome adversary: his self. I stood, feet planted and looming, blocking my own path.

Sorry, I’ll step back from fantasy land...

The 9-5: I'm out! Yay? Perhaps not.

I’ve been working from home for quite some time now, and as much as I love it, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Suffice it to say, I had absolutely NO idea the implications for the rest of my life to have my office in the same room I relax in.

This has been my journey...

Buttered Bread

My life is a slice of toast begging for buttering. So many threads of me. So many that demand to be woven, braeided into fabric. So little dedication I’ve reserved for each.