At this moment, these things I hold manifest:
Art is born in the moment of reception, not conception. Art is in the ways that we learn and relearn to relate to the universe. Today for you maybe it is a line of a novel and the sparkle of salt on a pistachio shell and a commercial for soap. Maybe it is not Michelangelo’s David or Absalom, Absalom. Today, anyway.
Nothing except art matters. There is no sense in rattling around a universe that we are not constantly teaching ourselves how to see.
God hides himself in the curves. The hollow of an underarm, a naked tree branch bowed by snow. There is nothing in nature that does not bulge or twist. Man invented the straight line; it is just the beginning of the brutality he has done himself.
Rectangles are not escapes. The computer is not an extension of your brain. A television is just a piece of furniture. A window is a reminder of incarceration, disguised as a glimpse of freedom. Of what enduring greatness is a skyscraper?
Move not with bustle but with THRASH. You are here to do great, productive violence to the world.
It is better to be alone than to suffer tepid company. If some days you are the only person you love, then see it for what it is: a blessing.
There is no escape in the places everybody goes. If the majority of time is eaten by the crushing requirements of survival, do not squander the rest of your precious hours by consoling yourself through numbing and vacant means.
If other people dissatisfy you, then — let them. Aggression and brittleness and delusions of grandeur and insecurity and dysfunction, these are not your problems. And whoever seeks to bring these problems to you, do not scorn or pity them, but do not condone them either. Just live gently and peacefully among them.
If you are not constantly creating something proactive and joyful, then you will die. If you are constantly creating something proactive and joyful, you will die too. But one of those stories is better than the other.
Stop waiting. It is eating up the best parts of you. Go forth to the inevitable, you beautiful bastard.
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*The title’s a nod to the manifesto by, among other cool dudes, Russian Futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, who is a great hero of mine. Back in 1912, they wrote one of the greatest manifestos I’ve ever read — which, from a Russian major, is saying something. But enough about him. Let’s talk about you. What do you hold manifest today?
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i don’t know about anyone else, but i’m ready to run through a brick wall after reading this. that is one HELL of a pre-exam psych-up. thanks. :)
This made my Monday morning. I’m smiling broadly after having read it, and I wanted to put at least two of them as Facebook statuses.
I firmly believe today that seeking out novel experiences is the best way to grow. Novel experiences can be anything from a new tree in the park near my house to heading out to spend time with lots of new people.
Yes! I love that! Also, completely agree about novelty coming from anywhere. I constantly find that novelty is reborn from the ashes of the familiar. New flowers in the garden across the street, the smell of someone passing me on the street. Love it!
This seems to be a repeating theme in my conversations. I was talking with a friend about reading really widely and reading the same book over and over in order to continually pick up new things. We decided that both are very good approaches. Maybe we are just strange book lovers.
This is gorgeous. I will carry your words about bulging and twisting with me, I can already tell.
Manifesto on a Monday! Keep it up, the rest of us schlubs need continued inspiration. I hold manifest that patience is the most loving emotion.
“Patience is the most loving emotion” — my god, I love that! I want to get a piece of wall art with that phrase incorporated so I can look at it in the mornings, when I most need to remember patience. Fantastic.
This is a great list. I’ll add one of my own, “Do what’s inside you, not just what you think will sell.” If I could go back in time and tell young Riff Pup just one thing, it would be that.
Love this! There is no escape in the places everybody goes. If the majority of time is eaten by the crushing requirements of survival, do not squander the rest of your precious hours by consoling yourself through numbing and vacant means.
So very inspiring. Thank you.
“Art is born in the moment of reception, not conception.” So true, and when art is not received (meaning with some understanding by the recipient) it’s not art but intellectual w@nking!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I’ve been arguing that for awhile and the only people who seem to agree with me are the ones who claim to know nothing about art.
Well, I don’t “claim to know something about art” beyond that I can tell when a piece emotes some sort of response from me other than “so what?” or “why is this art, other than because the creator has been to art school?”
I suspect that the problem with getting people who’ve been to art school to accept this argument is that they’d have to admit to being intellectual w@nkers if they agreed with it!
I feel like headbanging to your manifesto!
drinking strong coffee to work up today’s thrash. amazing column! thank you.
I can see this on a poster!
“Man invented…..done himself”
tied with the rest for my fav.
*swoon* Absolute perfection.
“It is better to be alone than to suffer tepid company” – Glorious! After a lunch spent discussing the suck that is the dating scene, this is what my emotionally stunted heart needed to hear.
Beautiful.
This reminds me of a couple quotations:
“For a baby, every day is like going to Paris for the first time.” – Alison Gopnik
“The two most engaging powers of an author are to
make new things familiar, and familiar things new.” – Samuel Johnson
A paraphrase of the second quotation appears in this talk, which is absolutely not to be missed:
http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html
I adore Ted Talks! I’ll have to check it out!
Dude, beautiful. I have been recently debating what you have put succinctly into words. I paint, paint, and paint, and resist much pressure to be more sociable with the tepid population.
“There is no escape in the places everybody goes!”
Thank you.
Oh my God. This post makes me want to puke, and then get up and do great things.
That tepid company quote? Is pretty much my life philosophy.