Creative people often perform an ongoing balance of internal strength and external openness.
Few creatives know this delicate balance more than rapper Kanye West, the multifaceted artist who faces both critical acclaim and public scorn on a daily basis.
After an 11-month absence from Twitter, West recently returned to the platform to annouce two new albums and deliver a long list of advice and rules for creatives who may be struggling with inspiration fatigue.
While West’s impromptu rule book – let’s call it the “Tao of Kanye” – emerged on social media as a new kind of philosophical study, his aphorisms address universal questions that appeal to everyone who has struggled to express their own creative ideas.
After all, creatives must have the mental toughness and self-discipline to hone their craft. They also have to deal with criticism while maintaining the fortitude necessary to go against the crowd.
To maintain that internal balance, there’s a longstanding tradition for artists like West to espouse a manifesto to help clarify their creative process. (For instance, artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt’s 2015 film “Manifesto” was meta-manifesto in itself, as actress Cate Blanchett recited some artistic and political treatises ranging from Karl Marx to Werner Herzog.)
To help clarify his own ideas on music and life, jazz pianist Thelonious Monk created a famous list of advice to himself which included such pearls of wisdom as, “What you don’t play can be more important than what you do.”
West offered advice in a style similar to Monk’s; his series of tweets highlighted the power of originality, being in the moment, and finding true happiness.
Experience West’s Twitter tone-poem and advice avalanche below.
Top and share image by Jason Persse/Flickr.