Tag: create something

• A Palette Is Not A Painting

  If you don’t like the palette you have been given, create your own, but then make something with it.

  

  Too often we find ourselves dissatisfied with what we have, insisting that if we only had more or if we only had something different we would be happy. The problem is that, if we actually get the thing(s) we are pining over, more often than not, we are still left dissatisfied and wanting something more or something different.

  Consuming or collecting, except in specialized hobbies, are not ends in and of themselves. A musician who has mastered a multitude of skillful scales, chord changes, and riffs must, at some point, put them together if he or she is to actually have a song. A martial artist may have dozens or hundreds of techniques in his or her arsenal, but, without sparring or competition, they may never come together in a useful way. Likewise, an artist’s palette means nothing if he or she does not actually paint with it.

  At some point, if we are ever to wrest satisfaction or contentment out of this life, we must take what we have and actually do something. If we want to break the cycle of emptiness, collecting and consuming simply to find more dissatisfaction, we have to stop seeking, even if for a moment, and create something. Then, if we wish to actually make a change in our life and the world around us, which, by the way is where joy and meaning are found, we must share it.

  We must be prepared, however. What we make may not be good enough… yet. The secret is to keep creating and keep sharing until it is. We must become masters of our palettes, and we must be generous with our work until, one drop at a time, our unique contributions begins to change the world around us. As this takes place, we may find that it was never really about the palette anyway.

  “As in life, so too it is in budo. As in budo, so too it is in life.”

  -Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body, Severna Park’s Holistic Chamber of Commerce, and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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  August 13, 2019

  art, artist, create something, creation, creative, creativity, generosity, Inspiration, make art, make change, Martial Arts, music, painting, palette

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• Resist Temptation And Make Something You Are Proud Of

  What work are you doing that you are proud of?

  “There is no human being I can name who can point to a body of work on Twitter and say ‘I am proud of that.’ That means all that time was spent not building a body of work you were proud of and we ought to be doing that. There’s never been a better time to have an idea. There’s never been a better time to be a writer, a singer, a speaker, a podcaster. There’s never been a better time to figure out how to help people than right now, but instead we spend an hour watching cat videos.”

  –Seth Godin

  Recently, I found myself involved in multiple debates on social media. These were situations where I posted an article, a video, or a meme of a political nature and, in the comments section of my post, an argument ensued. Often, I was not even part of the argument, but I was a witness to it. This gave me pause and caused me to reflect. Is it worth it? Is it worth the time, the energy, and the conflict to be intentionally, or unintentionally, divisive on social media? Life is hard enough already, and we are disconnected enough from each other, from compassion and empathy for each other, that we do not need more things dividing us, especially on social media platforms that are specifically designed to do so, in order to keep our attention and feed the advertisers.

  What if I resisted temptation? What if opted not for instant notification-gratification and instead put my time and effort into something I was proud of, something that will (or won’t) pay off in the future? What if I invested in a creative project, something I am proud of and that my child can look at someday and be proud of, instead of in driving someone else’s political, financial, or personal agenda forward? What if I double-down on my creative passions, my writing, my martial art practice, and developing both myself and those around me as leaders? What if I gave more time and attention to my wife and my daughter? Our time is limited and it is shorter than we imagine. Do something worth doing. Make something worth making.

  -Robert Van Valkenburgh teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Kogen Dojo

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  March 27, 2019

  create something, creativity, family, make art, make something, Martial Arts, seth, seth godin, social media, writing

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