"Underneath the superficial self, which pays attention to this and that, there is another self more really us than I. And the more you become aware of the unknown self—if you become aware of it—the more you realize that it is inseparably connected with everything else that is.

“You are a function of this total galaxy, bounded by the Milky Way, and this galaxy is a function of all other galaxies.

“You are that vast thing that you see far, far off with great telescopes. You look and look, and one day you are going to wake up and say, ‘Why, that’s me!’ And in knowing that, you know that you never die. You are the eternal thing that comes and goes that appears—now as John Jones, now as Mary Smith, now as Betty Brown—and so it goes, forever and ever and ever.”

—Alan Watts, The Tao of Philosophy

While there is no denying that hardship is universal, the true artist confronts a particular form of challenges.

Creating art for art’s sake is on the one hand invigorating and liberating, while simultaneously it is life on the edge. To succeed in this dharma, the artist must find an audience that comprehends his art language, which, in turn, sustains his being.

While there are things this artist must do to maintain his authenticity, he must also tend to and maintain his morale—which is a key factor in survival of both body and soul.

A sense of humor, especially about oneself, helps deflect the ego while placing things in perspective toward an unwavering life of right effort—as the Buddha taught.

The question then becomes: Does my model for living an authentic life hold up against the inner demons of angst and agony? In those moments on the ‘razor’s edge’, I realize that I don’t have to reinvent the old wheel of karmic understanding.

I need look no further than what Buddha revealed ages ago: anyone can make peace with self-inflicted pain and suffering through awareness, which snaps the perceiver out of illusion and into seeing reality as it is in the here and now.

In this way, I keep my story lively while living in a state of evolving self realization, despite the cycle of obstacles, denseness, nuisances, nonsense, and all the dire and petty things that desperately want to derail me from my mission, my dharma to make art—and I do so daily. 

Nirvana is reality as it is.

While social conditioning may provide some benefits to society, artists must strive for firsthand information. If not, the artist becomes a cog instead of a creator.

If there is any doubt that we are all subject to brainwashing, consider this: we are indoctrinated from birth to believe that we are members of different tribes and belief systems: American, Russian, French, Catholic, to Jewish, Hindu, and so on.

See reality as it is, which is also art and Zen. 

Prepare yourself now.

When an issue arises, listen to your own thoughts and where they will take you, if you let them.

Instead of saying that was disappointing, say that was revealing; hear and feel the difference.

Then, sit back, and take stock of your self-discipline.