Your art isn't enough.

I launched a workshop today and I used this analogy where you don't get on to an airplane if you see a guy in civilian clothing in the cockpit. Like, I'm not gonna get on that airplane if the pilot looks like I do, because there's no trust for me there. I can't trust that guy because I don't know what he's all about. But when we look at a pilot and we see his uniform and he's got his badges and his pins and his things, and he's like, he looks the part. There's a story that we tell ourselves that connects us to that person and we trust him because that uniform tells a story. We know the process, at least to some degree, what it takes for that person to earn that uniform and wear it. And so because we know that story, because we know the context of what it took for him to get there, and, and we know that other people trust him or her enough to be in that position, or we know now even more so that they trusted themselves enough to go deeper into that realm of trying to be a pilot. And they've now been able to earn the right to wear that uniform. She's there wearing that uniform now because she earned it. He's there wearing that uniform now because somebody believed that he was worth it. And therefore, because we know that story, we can trust them. But as artists, it's different, right? As artists, the uniform isn't. The uniform isn't uniform. I guess that's the way to say it. Like, it's not the same. We don't get the luxury of somebody walking up to us. And because we have, you know, our, you know, dark rimmed glasses and our troubled cigarette in our mouth and our long hair, like, yeah, we may look the part, but that doesn't mean that we do any. That doesn't tell the context of the story enough for us to trust you in that role. So it is our responsibility.

To now tell you the story, tell you the context of why I've earned the right to wear this uniform. And what's beautiful about being a creative is that your uniform is absolutely different. No matter who you are, no matter what you make, no matter what you do, it doesn't matter how you got there. It's not about the uniform in this scenario is not about the right college degree. It's not about being, like, under the right apprenticeship. It's not about being in this certain place. Yes, that may be true for some, but ultimately.

All that matters within that is that your uniform, that your story Connects to the person that you want it to connect to and that your uniform and your story connects to the art and the creativity that you make and earns you the right to tell the story that you intend to tell with the thing that you're making. Your art, your creativity is not enough. What is the thing beneath that? What is the thing beneath the thing that you've made? My friend Jeff Bart says, what's the thing under the thing? Right. If we're talking about a sidewalk, a sidewalk is just the thing. But the thing beneath that sidewalk is a road that's traveled by many opportunity. A chance to get from point A to point B. You know, seeking a destination that's maybe new for us and ourselves. Right? This hat, like, for. You know, on the surface level, this hat represents just Kansas City, like Kansas City Royals. But for many, that represents a journey of years and years and years of trying to build a franchise that was able to eventually go to the World Series twice and finally win it after so many years of turmoil. That right to wear that uniform, to present the story that they want to present with that creativity that what you're trying to do, your art is not enough, but the story beneath that art makes it enough. If you can tie that story back to you and the uniform that you proudly wear as a creative person. So I hope that you can think a little deeper about, you know, what is your story? Where do you come from? What do you stand for? What is it that you believe in when you make your art? Where did it come from? What does it stand for? What did you believe in when you made it? What's maybe an idea that you're trying to portray within that story, within that piece? How do you then tell the story within that piece of artwork? Right. How do you show the process that allows us to give you the right to wear the uniform that you wear? And it's not as hard as it feels. It's not as hard as it feels. We feel like we're sharing too much sometimes. We feel like, oh, well, I'm just talking about me all the time. Nobody wants to hear about me. So let's say you're sitting on an airplane seat, and all of a sudden this guy is like, man, I'm just dealing with this whole issue. I've had all this stuff come up. If his story is something that you've dealt with, would you share your own story in order to help that person? Would you be vulnerable enough to show your own vulnerability, scars, these types of things in order to help the person next to you. And I think that's what great creativity and art does is it creates feelings, emotion, vulnerability, opportunity to share and to help and to encourage and to inspire and to motivate. Right. So forgive me, I'm a little tired today. It's been a long day. But I hope that you find this helpful. Think about your story. Share your story. Think about the art that you make. Share its story. Share the process, share the execution. Share the experience with somebody else. Because your art isn't enough. But the uniform you wear, the story that you share, makes it more than enough. It makes it something that can really impact somebody. Alright, I'll see you guys soon.