And of course all this depends on one’s ambitions. For those who want fame, celebrity, accolades and their name in lights, then go the traditional route, seek those things out, work as hard as you can to achieve it and the best of luck to you. And I mean that. Sincerely. But not everyone has those ambitions. Some are quite content to build their own audience, to carve their own niche within the the glut of all the art that’s being produced and disseminated on a daily basis all around the world. For me, personally, I’m not one who’s seeking “fame” per se. Sure, I want people to read my books, enjoy them, etc but I’m more interested in connecting with people as readers. It isn’t about celebrity for me. I don’t have that temperament anyway. I’m really not an extrovert. But in a way, I suppose all creative people to some degree want some sort of recognition, accolades, notice, or else why put it out there in the first place? It’s a psychology I think about from time to time but certainly don’t have the answer.

This is my message to those who create: don’t wait for others to give you permission to do so. To create art is a very human thing; in fact, one of the very things that define us as humans. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do it, or to “put it out there.” Just do it. Don’t listen to the noise from others that tell you you’re not allowed to or that your work doesn’t “count” because it didn’t come via an avenue that “matters.” The same old record you hear time and time again. Again, I stress, it depends on what one’s ambitions are. There’s always this misconception that I mean that tradition doesn’t mean anything. I’m not saying that nor will I ever say that. But I strongly believe that one’s work counts so long as they put themselves into it fully and express themselves to the fullest and they get personal satisfaction and meaning from what they do. Who do these people think they are to tell someone that what they do is meaningless just because some “authority” says so? It’s very demeaning in my view, but no one said all artists are well meaning people.

Don’t wait for others to allow you to follow your passion, is the essential message here.