Wake up. Time to make something

When the urge to create something hits, you have to act quickly before the embers fade. They say mastery of anything is for the young and that if you haven't started something by a certain age, then there's no hope. Of course, barring an athletic career, the idea is mostly rubbish. There have been many great examples of people who have begun something in their 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s and have become proficient at it. I plan on being one of those people.

Sometime between now and my 60s, I hope to finally master music. So far, I have only been able to pull out a few sounds. I have NEVER been anywhere near mastery. I was a great charlatan that somehow found my way on stage despite having absolutely no idea of what I was doing. The only thing I had was passion and imagination. With the last several decades of my life, I hope to achieve mastery somehow. Being older means it might take a little longer than a fresh young mind that's unburdened by the daily struggle of survival. It does not mean that it's impossible.

The second most important thing to remember is that nothing is for anyone other than yourself. Yes, people respond to the things that we make and even judge us for the quality of our work. In the end, there's only you and no one else. In the solitude of your room, when the rest of existence sits outside your event cone, there's only you and your mental processes, which interpret the events of the world. Remembering this is important because the actions we take have no meaning other than to fulfill the imperative of living one's life to the fullest. The word "fullest" is, of course, subjective. In this case, it means to live one's life according to whatever you feel you need to find satisfaction. The only exception to this would be if your satisfaction came from physically or psychologically harming others.

So, when we create, we must create for ourselves. We must create because we need to release the energy within us. We must create because we need to share an idea. We must create because it allows us to understand our place in the world, and it gives us a feeling of purpose. We must create because it allows us to resist the feeling of insignificance and invisibility. Whatever the reason, it will always be a personal one. So, in the end, we create for ourselves. In this spirit, I hope that anyone who's thinking about creatively expressing themselves will not be held back by fear or embarrassment. Create for yourself. Of course, it will not be easy at first. There will be so many failures along the way. Even after decades, you may feel like you are nowhere close to becoming a master of your craft. That's perfectly fine, as long as you continuously get from the process whatever you sought when you first began the journey.

My purpose has always been the quest for the road that leads to the door that opens to higher consciousness. In my connection to creativity, I could feel a closeness to my original form before it became corporal. It's as if I could rejoin the gods through the magic I generated.

My gods don't demand perfection. They only require dedication and sincerity. They only ask that I entered the transcendental state between this world and theirs, the midpoint where they can greet me to share ideas and information. They don't care about fame, money, or what the world says about what I have created. They only care that I have come to meet them. They only care about where I will be on the last day of my earthly existence. Will I be on the floor of the lowest Valley or will I be at the zenith of the highest mountain? The answer to that depends on how much creative energy I can generate to fly.

(On the right is fellow creative cosmonaut, Shea Erickson)