Enjoy Yourself
Wow, it sure has been a while! Sorry for the long break between blogs, I’ve been trying to keep up with a lot all at once while working on a new project, all while living through a global health crisis. So it’s been a little hectic, but here I am!
I think it’s important to stay creative when the world is as crazy as it is. A major problem with the culture of this country is the need to monetize hobbies, but that’s an idea we have to break. The idea in this country that you have to wait until you’re retired to just kick back and have fun is insane. Why in the world should you wait until you’re 65+ (if you’re lucky) to start painting? I know you have work and bills and family obligations all pulling you in a million directions, so the pressure to be productive even in your leisure is strong. But cut that shit out. If you want to paint, paint. You don’t even have to be good at it. I used to love drawing, but I wasn’t very good at it. One of my biggest regrets is that I just stopped doing it one day. I likely never would have been great at it, but I liked doing it. And one day as a child, I just quit because I wasn’t good enough. How sad is that?
My interests have changed and evolved over the years, so I don’t pine for drawing. But I do think it’s terribly sad that a kid stopped doing something he liked just because he didn’t think he was good enough to show it off. Don’t be that kid. Hell, don’t be that adult! If you like drawing, draw. If you like singing, sing. Go to karaoke, and have a great time. “But I’m a terrible singer!” So are most of the others. And the ones who aren’t terrible, if they’re making you feel bad about your talent, they’re assholes. 100%, that’s the truth. Anyone who tries to make people feel bad for not being “good enough” at a recreational activity is an asshole. For the record, I’m not saying you can’t have an opinion. If someone is terrible at karaoke, you don’t have to enjoy it (or even pretend that you do). But on more than one occasion, I’ve seen someone tell a person who just sang that they were terrible, and that’s a really shitty thing to do.
Don’t let “not being good enough” stop you from doing things for fun. If you want to make money off of something, sure, you’ll need to be good at it. But hobbies should be relaxing. Why in the world would you start a hobby with the intention of adding capitalism to it? Just find something you like to do, and then enjoy yourself doing it.
Unrelated to this blog, I did mention that I had a new project. I wrote a short book. This isn’t a comedy piece in any way, it’s a throwback to my former life as an Army interrogator and interrogation instructor. We’re living in pretty turbulent times, and a lot of our authority figures are engaged in gross abuses of power. I wrote a guidebook to dealing with interrogation as a civilian, and it’s available at Barnes and Noble. If that’s a topic that interests you, check it out. I’ve included the link here. Thanks!