The ‘Phoenix’ Gremlin
MOVE FAST AND MAKE THINGS
THESE TIMES are tough—wars, troubling headlines, tears. It's not easy, and it hurts. AND YET. WE CREATORS HAVE THE THING NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY. IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD, WE MAKE ART. We have access to the creative ascension that many wish they had. If we become numb and stop creating, we lose at our own game.
Don’t let the outside distract you. Streamline the anger and the feelings into creative alchemy. You are not numb. USE IT. Make, make, make. Don’t hoard, don’t stop, give more and let your heart be the first to receive the medicine.
There is a sentence in the Dune novel that didn’t quite make it to the film, and, in my humble opinion, it’s a banger. When Paul threatens to destroy Spice, a substance crucial to the universe's functioning, he says, “The Guild and the entire Universe depend on Spice. He who can destroy a thing controls a thing.”
The premise is that you’re only as powerful as what you are willing to give away. As artists and creators, our power lies in sharing our creativity. If we can't give it away, it controls us.
The tightrope of the artist’s life is to need (notice, not love, need) something so much and yet not let that hold you. We need to create and keep the creations flowing. The moment we begin to hoard, we become victims of our awareness, and our gifts become burdens.
Think of creativity as the Spice in "Dune"—it keeps economies and systems moving. Creativity grants us power that no institution or person can control unless we allow it. Creative alchemy is the gift of our sensitivity. So, don't let the hurt of these times stop you from accessing your power.
You HAVE to keep creating, especially when it hurts. When you store creativity, block it, or weaponise it, you become greedy, fearful, or scarce as a creator. Paul's power in "Dune" came from his willingness to risk what civilisation depended on because he knew living in a world controlled by his riches was a false freedom.
For you to live in a world controlled by your sensitivity is a false cage. USE YOUR POWER.
You cannot let the outside stop you from making. If anything, use any overwhelm or fear you feel to go deeper into yourself. There, you will meet fractals of humanity, and you will learn to alchemise pain into brilliance and joy into abundance. Make make make.
From the Factory >
MAKING at a FEVERISH frenzy.
Musings >
Motivation
I've listened to this speech a lot. I first found it before I was even close to thinking of myself as an artist or freelancer, and now, funnily enough, it holds new weight for me. The phrase 'in good times and bad, make good art, make your art' continues to be medicine. - Neil Gaiman
Music
Sun Ra and Palestinian artists. Haseeb Iqbals’ radio shows are soul food.
Caught on film in studio by Louise Wilkie
Love. Forever. And ever.
Phoenix tings. Rise up Gremlin.
Karimah
