If you are not creative everyday—why live?

New Book: Eternal Return to Creative Everyday

As a thought experiment, let’s say you would live for eternity. If you heard that news, would you gnash your teeth and curse God, or tell him, “Thank you!”

This is pretty much Nietzsche’s concept of the “eternal return”— if you lived your life, for infinity, what kind of creative work would you return to?

I’ve been studying the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, and I’m inspired that he was truly… creative everyday.

He pursued ALL art. His notebooks are impressive, with thousands of pages of sketches of muscle anatomy, with drawings of nature, and his combination of his interest in science and technology (married with art). He was the ultimate curious spirit.

The antidote to hell

To me, the idea of hell is:

Being told that I would live forever, but be bored forever.”

The solution: being creative everyday— to constantly explore, learn, make, draw, write, sing, and dance.

Everyday is a new chance to be creative (always be excited for a new day)

To me, I’m trying to be creative everyday by constantly challenging my own assumptions about truth and knowledge, always being skeptical, always making new pictures (via taking photographs, or drawing on my iPad), and seeing how I can push art, knowledge, and philosophy forward.

As an artist, you are a creative creature. And to survive and thrive, you must KEEP EVOLVING!

You must not limit your creativity to one small domain. You must extend your boundaries, become more multi-faceted, to explore different styles of art, and to marry all of your artistic interests. Pursue your passion for photography, music, theater, physiology, psychology, engineering, programming, law, justice, poetry, or whatever interests you.

Start blank, fresh, new, everyday.

Everyday, I try to start off with a blank slate. As a practice, I try to uninstall at least one app from my device, and to start with a zen-like blank slate. The more I can empty myself, the more I can allow new creative ideas enter my mind.

To stimulate my creative mind, I like to go on quiet walks at the park, with no music or device. I like to let my mind wander, and “flaneur” on the streets.

I stimulate my mind with coffee, and empowering hip hop music. I like to read philosophy, poetry, and study and trace artwork that inspires me.

Above all, I try to pursue my personal curiosities, like a child. Even with working out, I just prefer using the jungle gym at the park, doing chin-ups and other exercises like a kid— having fun, challenging my limits, and pushing myself, and avoiding boredom.

Diet, sleep, nutrition, and exercise for artists

I also find that if you knew you were to live forever, you would sleep a lot. I genuinely believe that all artists would benefit greatly by sleeping a lot (creative recuperation), through physical exercise, and proper nutrition.

There is a link between physical, mental, and creative health.

So with your diet, nutrition, and lifestyle… ask yourself:

Is my lifestyle, diet, and exercise productive to my artistic strength?

Create all day, everyday.

When in doubt, make. Don’t intake, create.

Fuck imperfection. Have fun. Challenge yourself. Push yourself. Have fun.

Let’s play,
ERIC

New Book: Eternal Return to Creative Everyday