The Aligned Artist: Fulfilling Your Purpose

Written in: Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada
Message: To create greatness requires alignment

Throughout the stages of life, we meet those that fit within 3 general characters of behaviour. The first 2, which one should aim to dissuade from pursuing are:

1. The Conformist

2. The Rebel

But it is the 3rd personality that high-achievers are always swaying towards on a subconscious level. It is this third essence of body that continuously brings their highest creative potential into fruition:

3. The Aligned

To invoke this master through alignment, one must first understand himself for better or for worse. This means becoming sensitive to that which promotes the first two characters of Conformist and Rebel – then resist them.

1. Observing the Conformist:

The conformist is the type of person that puts popularity as a priority. Always needing to fit in, and giving into arms races to be slightly better – but not by too much! The majority of people are in this category, looking to be the same but also showing signs of a little difference. Being their own individual, but not by too much so as to be accepted still. On the curve of adoption (as seen in Fig. 1), they are the early-late majority. They always prioritize popularity. This results in their giving up of real attraction and wants in favour of being seen as 'popular'.

This takes away from your individual soul. Who you are. Squandering your talents for likes and follows, and subscribers and comments.

DO NOT LOSE YOURSELF.

2. Observing the Rebel:

The rebel, on the opposite side of this spectrum, is the negative conformist. Taking all the likes of the conformists and favouring the complete opposite. These are the people who are on the tail ends of the adoption curve – the innovators and the laggards (as seen in Fig. 2).

The rebel is actively opposing 'the masses'.

Again, the reason for this is for popularity. But, on the polar end of the conformist, for not fitting in. Actively choosing the opposite of the majority. But what good does this do? All this does is force one to use thought energy in defining the majority and what they favour, and then doing the opposite. A lot like those of the Avoidant Attachment Style.

What this does is, again, take away from one's true character. Their soul. Wasting their essence and energy on fitting within a class.

Sure, they can justify it is them because it's their method of processing what they actively choose, but that's a big layer of covering up their true affection for things. Their deeper selves are too hidden.

Now, before getting to the 3rd type of person, let's see how these first 2 types of people are faulty in their decision making abilities. Both have tendencies and urges to seek what others approve of – either to follow these others, or to actively oppose them. As already stated, this hampers their true identity. Their decisions are solely based on others while their own happiness gets pushed aside. Notice I said happiness.

I say "happiness" as a synonym to being who you really are – without relying completely on outside approval. Which brings us to the 3rd type of person to model if personal happiness and success is your goal.

3. Becoming the Aligned.

The person who acts in alignment with their own internal draws. They do based on their wants, and their wants alone. This master understands that what they want serves a higher power and is thus rewarded. What this means is they can indeed be a conformist amongst one particular group of people, but also a rebel amongst a different group. What stays a constant is their active choice to do what internally motivates them outside the persuasion of others.

Whatever they do, the do because it makes them happy – without the approval of others or the attention of others. Take them or leave them. They act from the heart and approval or attention is an insignificant factor or by-product. Happiness is created and is what serves the higher, and is justly rewarded in highest regard.

Now, let's put this into the context of the artist in you. Yesterday, of coincidence, I studied a  TedTalk given be no other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was about creativity and the influence of social media. There is one major takeaway I got from it that goes hand-in-hand with living in alignment.

Creatives need to create for one.

NOT THE MASSES.

Creativity suffers when it gets too thin amongst many. Most of the time, artists will make their best work when they do it for themselves – this can be done by modelling another's methods, but ultimately for their own fulfillment in the artwork itself. This diminishes the more one thinks about the secondary outcomes of their art. The likes. The approval. The money. The followers comments reactions subscribers retweets.

When thoughts get put on the future reward, the present canvas gets torn.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR ENERGY ON GAINING ATTENTION. That comes after all the deep work has been made. And to do that at the fullest potential, it must be in alignment with who you are.

The wedding videographer must produce for his own eyes

The sculptor must mould from their own cast

The painter must stipple on her own desires

The individual must give in to this law and let happiness live.

You are the miracle formed by aeons of evolved thought and synthesized experience, so let it grow and prosper.

Until next time,

- A