Not only personally attacking me but knowing I started writing but I was gonna never release it so calling in a targeted nuclear strike directly to my medulla oblongata
“Make something beautiful and then delete it” is legit a lesson I was forced to do not only in art school but OCD therapy. It’s painful but brilliant. If you delete it and can never recreate it, it motivates you to keep chasing that art forever, in spite. But if you can recreate it, you can be smug in the knowledge that YOU are the valuable thing, not your art. Either way, it’s a fantastic exercise
Long ago I saw a NatGeo page about Buddhist sand mandalas. People would spend years creating these beautiful works of art with colored sand only to wipe them away the second they were finished. Something about nonattachment and the impermanence of all things. That always made me uncomfortable in a good way and I've never been able to shake it. Sometimes the purpose of making art is the actual process of making, not the art object itself or anyone else's experience of it.
I imagine it’s the same feeling when I spend days and a hell of a lot of effort on writing a paper or a large segment of code, am finally happy with the product and feeling super accomplished, and then I wake up XD
This hurts in an inspirational way where I know it is right and true and it would help me the most, but a majority of my being is violently in opposition to this.... damn it.
@@glowco.717That kind of logic always bugs me. Like I wasn’t born great at drawing. I’m still kind of crap at it until I get into the groove. But you gotta do it anyway to get better.
I spent my whole childhood and tweenhood and teenhood singing in various things, but now that I’m an adult both my mom and my partner critique my singing when I’m, like, singing in the car or something. I keep telling them: this is not for YOU. This is for ME.
CJ's video structure is the opposite of stream of consciousness. The arguments are well constructed and focused on the subject, but the subject is so ethereal and complex and the approach so unconventional that the video bounces in so many directions, and I'm here for it. EDIT: Alas, I must come clean. My comment is a bounty for Art sins, for I have been witholding this comment from the world for 2 months (Sloth) solely because, desiring for the most people possible to view my comment, I waited for the upload of a new video in order to cash in on the limited competition and algorith favoring slavish engagement with the platform (Lust), which I have edited after posting becaus eof a few minor changes that ultimately would not have impacted the meaning of my words (Wrath). Also I'm a sock puppet account for Yoon Suk-yeol, the standing president of South Korea (Bonus Sin)
I watched this video about 16 times and I quote it on a regular basis, I have forced about 50 artists to watch it, I keep recommending it to everyone who talks to me, it permanently altered my brain chemistry and its integral to my life as an adult and I need everyone to feel the same way. Edit: its that time of the year again Edit 2: it's that time of the year again Edit 3: Yes I am here again Edit 4: I have printed a summary of this video and taped it to the wall behind my monitor that I look at whenever I space out Edit 5: Someone reblogged my own tumblr post screaming about this video back onto my dash so here I am of course
@@TheMarkFlanagan the summary is just the chapter subnames from the video so it goes like Sloth - Depriving the Universe of it's U Greed - Perfectionism and Preciousness Pride - Using the word Pretencious in vain Wrath - Taking back what is no longer yours Lust - Glory without meaning Envy - Suffocating the Suffrage Gluttony - Game of Thrones Season 8 Ive watched the video enough times to where no further elaboration is needed
just found out about this dude....ADHD at its peak performance. this is the only viable pace of speech and style of editing to keep me genuinely engaged and glued to the screen. obsessed with the points, the piercing cultural analysis and the way you seem to grasp perfect vocabulary that has already arranged itself into cohesive and deeply insightful bite-sized sentences out of the air. instant most interesting person in the room award
It is weirdly validating to watch someone methodically explain and deconstruct all of the thoughts you have had about art and art production but couldn't put into words. This might be my favorite go-to link for aspiring artists now.
my 1 issue with this is the implication that art needs to be released to be valid, complete, or fulfilling. of all the art i've made the most valuable is the stuff i keep to myself. also, i often find that the art i've made that is most popular is some of the least fulfilling art i've made, and things i really did like making and still really like often dont elicit that response from other people. whats more, the idea that art *will be released* is part of a subconscious or conscious shaper of what the art becomes when you are making it. even the unselfconscious and confident artist is influenced by this idea. i think there's value in creating art with no intention of ever releasing it. you can always change your mind after the fact.
@ponpon i mean i can see points in the talk where that is who it's aimed at but i got a lot of the video out of it for myself, that was inspiring, the applies just as much to my private art as my public art and how my perception of such has shifted, hence my comment
I'll share my thoughts in case it helps others. I find myself to be super anti-authority, driven by my desire to set my own course in things. I absolute despise even the slightest coercion to an absolutely disproportionate degree, where I've even at times been called irrational for the extent to which I respond. What this quote means to me, is it frames me not releasing something as the mass voice of judgement from the world, and everyone around me whether they do so intentionally or subconsciously by judgmental knee jerk reaction based on their own imperfect perception. Framing the releasing of art as the retaliation speaks directly to my innate response against any coercion, and if that coercion is the, even if accidental, force of losing confidence in myself from those around me, well....there's no way I'll let them do that to me!
@@lethaldream50 Great insight, I do agree with you to some extent and I have found value in creating art intended for my eyes only. In reflecting on my own experience as an artist, I think the imagined outside audience still exists when I create art without any intentions of releasing it. I have let the fear of being seen prevent me from sharing art for a long time, and used to convince myself that the reason I never released art was because it was especially for "me only" but really, who is that anyway? I think there is always an audience, real or imagined, no matter what. I am so grateful to artists who commit to the brave act of sharing art because it enriches my life every day. Am I that brave yet? Absolutely not, but maybe one day soon :)
“If it falls flat at least you meant it” has been my go-to attitude while making things for the last 15 years. You’ll regret disingenuous cash grabs/chasing attention with hasty trends waaay more than something you poured yourself into that just wasn’t quite acknowledged the way you hoped.
I love how CJ can say something that *sounds* overly dramatic like 'season 8 of GoT was a sin' and then in a few minutes manage to completely justify it, and have me nodding my head and laughing in total agreement.
CJ is like the first artist i found that isn't embarrassed by the fact that they make art. It always annoys me when artists try to talk about meaning in their art and they have to start off with "this is gonna sound so pretentious". Like, no bitch, you made the art because you wanted to communicate meaning. I like that All Eyes on Me has good production, but that's not why I think it's amazing, I think it's amazing because of it's meaning. So, it's really refreshing to see someone own that they make art because they want to express meaning, instead of trying to tiptoe around that fact to not get called pretentious or as "caring too much". also cool makeup
I think we just all got programmed to be ashamed of anything that could potentially sound "pretentious" or artistic or whatever and so it's a reflex. Kind of like, "I know I'm not an artist but here's my art." I've said that so many times but it wasn't until some kid in my creative writing class asked our professor if she was actually a writer or just teaching writing that I realized how fucked up our idea of "the artist" is. There's a push/pull between downplaying your art because you're not sure if people will take you seriously and owning your art and all the dumb ways people can perceive either of those things.
I would actually interpret "art is never finished, only abandoned" more positively, as in, your art is never going to speak up and tell you "congratulations! I'm done now, this is the objectively optimal point where you should not change anything anymore" so it's okay to stop when you don't feel objectively sure your art is perfect.
I look at it as " you're never finished as an artist" your passion never really goes away, you just leave or lock it up for what ever reason, but it'll never be gone, or done. It is you. Don't abandon you.
"You don't get to be a perfectionist if it is unproven up to this point if you can even make a thing." This is actually incredibly empowering. Finish a thing and show it to the world before you start trying to fine-tune every aspect of your process or endlessly edit the final draft.
9:58 For real. There was this guy at the church I attend who sang very loudly, and it did not sound good, but you could tell that he loved it. It made him happy to do it. That man was closer to Jesus than I'll ever be.
you IMMEDIATELY validated an experience I had with a professor a few months back, I was trying to learn how to do calligraphy digitally so I could do a fancy handwritten title for my short film, and once it was complete and we were at the early screening stage, one of the profs "critiques" on my film was that "It had been done before, so it better be good" and specifically mentioned that my title "looked like it was trying too hard" and because of that I changed it. And now a few months later I'm still pissed as fuck that I payed so much fucking money just for one of my supposed "mentors" to shit all over my confidence and make me question my abilities and taste when it comes to what I'm trying to do. I was so angry and unmotivated, that teacher immediately lost any respect he had earned previously, and it killed a lot of the love I'd previously had for my project
I can relate sooooo hard. This might be a little long so I apologize. But anyway, I went to Music school only to get out of where I was living and I said I like music I’d like to learn how to make it, and also what it means to be someone who makes music I guess. That was 2020 when I transferred (junior year but had gaps before) so covid hit and all my in person hands on experience went out the window. But the worst part was that my teachers were insufferable out of touch ego maniacs with a baskin robbins variety of personality problems. I wasn’t learning but I sure as hell was paying. And all the while I’m being shit on by my recording professor who’s also my academic advisor, and when I go to report him TWICE to the assistant dean for that and plenty more, the other professor shows up to that meeting and just verbally abused me in front of the assistant dean. Got me feeling I’m on trial now in a weird twist but I held my own and told him to gtfo and he told me he hopes to never see me again and I said likewise bitch 😂. Here I am now finally tiptoeing back into art and music because music school had me so fucked up with impostor syndrome and plenty of other of these art sins. I still can’t make a full song, video, drawing, etc.
It’s weird because this seems like a western problem. I watch Anime, and I used to find it strange how there were sooo many “reincarnated into another world” series. Now I kind of admire that, because the amount of times I think to myself “wow I love the way this world building is done or how these characters are developed. I would love for someone else to do the same but more fleshed out than this.” I always remember that us Americans can’t touch the idea of “copying,” without having a brain meltdown. TLDR I wish Americans could copy general ideas and create new shows around them.
@@NotTooStraight Maybe it's the individualism, the idea that you and your art need to be unique and if the art isn't solely from you it isn't good. It's the same bullshit as self-made billionaries, it's not possible to invent culture or summon $1B by yourself. You have to respect the community you've grown in, but American society is still relearning how to do that. Every concept is new and none are, get used to that dialectic and just make stuff that's good wherever it comes from.
Friendly reminder to everyone that NaNoWriMo will start next week! For the people who don't already know, it stands for National Novel Writing Month and it's mainly an excuse for both writers or non-professionals to try and write a whole book in only 30 days. The focus is simply on writing a lot, so quality is not really an issue, but something you can work on and edit afterwards. If anyone wants to follow CJ's advice about just getting your art out there this is one such opportunity for that to happen!
This is a great reminder!! To add on, don't forget that it doesn't just have to be books you write: write songs, poems, scripts, dialogue for a game, or just your own journal. I know I'm gonna be focused on scripts this year
My 'art flame' felt super extinguished for a couple years now, and this straight up just gave me the spark to re-ignite. Huge thank you CJ! This is easily in the top 10 videos I've ever lucked into finding on this site.
holy shit i apparently needed to hear this. my big gargantuan art sin is greed, and i've been scared to finish an artwork for months now even though i basically finished it ages ago. i've battled perfectionism my entire life and have told friends, teachers and therapists alike that i will try to conquer it but i still get paralysed by the expectations that no one has for me but myself. it's strange knowing you're the reason you can't evolve but still feeling powerless to do it. but you gave me another much needed push, and i'm challenging myself to finish this piece by the end of the day and post it online even though i'm scared of how other people will feel about it!
I'll be 38 in a few weeks.... CJ has done more to inspire me to express my aesthetic self than anyone else in my entire adult life. If you're reading this, it's legit never too late to be happy, whole and giving with your craft. Thanks CJ. I hope you're as inspiring to other artists as you are to me. You reminded me of how important art is in my life.
That’s really sweet, I hope you’re able to focus on your art, whatever form it takes, with new passion and joy ❤ keep this feeling in mind when you’re struggling artistically, or even blast this video again to get that inspiration hit again, that’s what I do hehe
Just tuned 39, the section about not keeping my art to myself had me in tears. CJ has definitely inspired me. Remember - age is nothing! Good luck on your creative journey 💗
I've been "producing" music since I was 20 and now I'm 25 with around 50 started projects. None completely finished... CJs vids have been inspiring me to actually start completing my projects even if I'm dissatisfied with it, which has been such a large barrier for me.
Honestly in my opinion fanfic is completely art! Like, you consumed this piece of media and it so consumed you that you decided to have it forever be a part of your creative experiences and human experience! Like bro that’s super cool I love fanfic 👍
Oh it definitely is. It's interacting with the art, not just consuming it for your own enjoyment, but liking it so much that you want to share your own vision. Then other people can also see that, see how excited someone was about the art piece, and appreciate both your vision and the original one. It tells the creators that you appreciated them, and you can have fun and learn from this. It may not be perfect, but it's an expression of the limited perspective you have and that can also be fantastic.
i was raised by an art family so my first encounter with "trying too hard" was one of my friends in middle school asking if her hair was trying too hard. i was mystified at the concept and she had to explain. years later as a teen i still found myself consumed with fears of trying too hard or being pretentious with my art. i only recently feel like at 23 im finally accepting how much i like my art and that its ok it's different and weird. i wish caring about things werent seen as inherently bad by society. but then again, if we cared about real things and listened to our bodies capitalistic america would collapse 😂 thanks for this video and many others. always inspires me to work a little harder at my projects ❤
One huge problem that didn't get explored much here (though it was hinted at with the singer being pressured to get on tiktok) is that capitalist society often forces people to commit these sins. I would like to draw only what brings me joy, but popular art i care less about and commissions help me pay rent. I would love to focus on finishing my latest book, but after a long day of work at my day job and making art for other people in the evening, where is the time and energy for my devotion? It can be Sloth, or it can be Fatigue. It can be Lust, or it can be Need. Most artists either have a non-art job to survive and make art in their free time, or they'll have an art job that commits some of the sins mentionned here. It's not as easy as "just make the art you want regardless of success" because being successful takes a huge burden off your shoulders and gives you the resources to make better art. So, is it better to sell your soul in order to be free later, or will you lose the love of the art in the process? Or is it better not to touch at the artistic industries and only create at your own terms, but risk losing the time and energy to create, making it harder and harder?
In my experience, and I've been in a lot of creative communities over the last twenty years and have heard all of this before (shit, i've _said_ a lot of this before, when i was young and thought i knew a lot more than i did), that's a huge blindspot to people who are talking the way CJ is in this video. And putting it under the framework of sin only makes it worse, because while some may take it as an inspiration to not do these things that they're being told are bad, a lot more are just going to take it as more reasons to beat themselves up over things they're already beating themselves up for. It's a terrible mindset to adopt, and not one you should be encouraging others to follow in. But hey, that could just be the bitterness of a slothful burnout talking.
I love the questions you pose, and I, personally, don't have one clear answer. My beliefs about the sanctity of art may not be as rigidly defined as CJ's, but, nonetheless, I do have something to share here. There is no shame on most any individual for being oppressed by a system. The function of capitalism does not promote good, sinless art (by CJ's definition) in many cases. I think it is amazing and inspiring that people pursue their passions underneath the boot that encourages you to pick up your own bootstraps, like you even starting your book in the first place, but I don't think it's always feasible, with the current state of the world, like you've said. All this considered, making art on your own terms can be a great form of protest, and there is no revolution without art, but an effective strike isn't just one person doing it, it's usually when the majority realises how much they dislike the status quo and, with communication and direct action, collaborates to change it, no?
@@gorimbaud I feel you, and I'm sorry you're experiencing burnout. I hope you find your love for art again (and I hope the same for me). It's fucking hard to make joyful art in this profit-obsessed alienating society. I reckon CJ spoke of these "sins" the way some preachers would, as inevitable pitfalls of the human conditions we need to work against, and to me it didn't come off as shaming or guilt-tripping so much as their typical brand of animated uncouth pep talk, but you're right. If someone is already feeling guilt, this could be a damaging framework rather than a helpful one. I hope people who watch this are gentle to themselves
@@rowanpaws2975 I appreciate you saying that, thanks! This society is tough to survive in, and I'm one of the lucky ones (roof over my head, good health, steady job). I love Virginia Woolf's essay "a room of one's own", where she talks about what one needs to write and make art (material comfort and a lot less sexism). In the pyramid of needs, there's a reason why the needs of the body come before the soul - a human can survive (miserably) with no self-fulfillment, but no man can make joyful art when they're hungry or exhausted or homeless or fearing for their life.
@@j.m.lascar5002 Of course! It's also so important to be grateful for what we do have in the moment. I absolutely adore Virginia Woolf's work, and I've recently become far more acquainted with her, particularly in relation to her novel Orlando. I'm going to be writing an essay about Orlando soon, actually, in comparison to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, particularly with the lense focused on the theme of class and status, and I think it's a lovely happenstance that her writing was mentioned, by you, outside of my little brainstorming bubble of analysis. Also, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a lovely concept, one that I think Non-violent Communication, particularly the book by Marshall Rosenberg, expands on wonderfully. The core principle (according to my understanding of it), that every communication that happens between anyone is an expression of a need that we all share as humans, and a feeling related to that need, in how it is either being met or not being met, is a very useful tool, in my opinion, in understanding others and the world around me. I highly recommend you to check it out, if you want; I think the audiobook is free on Marshall Rosenberg's UA-cam channel. That, and the core ideas of Transformational NLP, by Carl Buchheit, have become key pieces of my philosophy, and I am guessing that you might find them very interesting as well.
8 minutes in and im gonna publish the finished thing that i've been keeping locked up for a year and a half because it doesnt feel finished enough. thanks cj
Thank you for this video, CJ. It's been years since I've created any art, but I've never stopped thinking about it. I think this might have given me the kick in the rear I've been needing. Thank you so much.
CJ’s throwaway line in the Rick and Morty video “don’t negotiate with terrorists your ego is a terrorist” was what allowed me to remove the censors I’d put on myself. I’ve always wanted to be a reality game show producer and last Saturday I tested my first game. The idea of having my brain baby judged was frightening leading up to the event. But once the game got going holy shit I was in creative bliss as so many of my ideas were completely hits and others presented themselves as tweaks. Thanks for working myself out of this art sin, CJ the Xtra Speed Talker. You’re amazing
CJ often feels like a speed run of art stuff, in the good sense that they 150% understand what they’re talking about to the point that they can sprint through it and still deliver more insight than any possible 44 minute lecture I’ve ever heard. It’s fucking incredible and I can’t wait for more. Also while this deranged but intimately understandable way of delivering jibes with my brain I can’t help but feel jealous that my ADHD doesn’t manifest in this way. God I wish I could be so salient and fluent and insightful in any aspect of my life I’m no artist but even my interests and hobbies suffer from these sins whenever I dare to think about doing something, creating, learning, or anything.
I fully relate to your sentiment, gotta say though I've noticed I enter my own 'CJ mode' when some wrong or injustice pisses me off and sends me on a tirade of spiteful retaliation. So I think that might mean we each have our trigger, our GO signal, and that maybe you just need to find yours.
Peak sloth: I have a little story based vaguely on a dream that lives in the back of my head. It has lived there for literal years. I use it purely to go to sleep. Specifically I use one scene that I have a full script for to stop the bad thoughts before bed.
“Generate and offer your art sincerely without the material expectation of reward” 31:54 This hits me so hard right now. A few weeks ago I had entered a huge art contest for high schoolers in my state. In the contest they rate your art from 1-4 and the pieces rated 4 can go to a state wide competition. I luckily got a 4 but had not been chosen for state, and it’s hurt me. Since then the only thing that I can think of when making art is “what can I do to make the judges see my art, what can I do to make them like it”. After all I put literal days into my piece and since it hadn’t gone to state I felt like I had wasted that time. But hearing this is making me slow down and realize, it doesn’t matter if they see it or not, I should just make something I enjoy instead. So thank you for that
@@zwishking6032 That was either added in later or didn't load in for me previously for whatever reason, because I did check for timestamps in the description and there weren't any. I made timestamps for myself for ease of finding different parts.
The sections on Sloth and Greed singlehandedly kicked my ass into restarting work on a script I had been working on for a video essay I really feel a strong attachment to, so thank you for that genuinely. Fucking _Excellent_ video from start to finish.
"Language, science, philopsophy. All afterthoughts." This quote is so important for me to remember. I love learning so much that I let it get in the way of my doing.
Ngl if this video had come out just a couple hours earlier the first sin woulda made me very bitter as a long burnout had devoured my desire to create art a couple years back. But. It just so happens that about an hour ago I went through my old sketchbooks on a whim to organize them and I am now willing to admit that yes, I would like to Art again.
As someone who very much so fell into the "Big number on art = good art" spiral within my recent fan communities, I wish I had this video sooner. The entire Lust section feels like a punch to the gut. These are all lessons I've had to learn over the past few years, but never truly had the words to explain why they'd affected me so much. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for making this.
The pretentiousness point is incredibly valuable culturally and societally. Took a really great class “Art As History” with a brilliant author and historian April Masten (wrote a book worth your time “Art Work”) where we examined and broke down the art mystique historically and where and how art went from another valuable trade/labor to a sort of exalted “othered” mystified product of singular genius. Really made me appreciate and value my work more as a writer and performer and made me feel more valid. Also, made me more skeptical of the fetishization of the idea of artists as rare, divine oracles apart from the rest of people who have a trade and work hard at it regularly.
I feel like this channel is a series of shower thoughts that were given lots and lots of fertilizer and sunlight and allowed to grow up to their maximum potential. It's always a fun ride and you can never entirely predict where the discussion is going to end up.
the nazis were also the ones who coined, "degenerate art" when referring to abstract, surrealism, basically anything not aesthetically sound, or anything that challenged the status quo
The greed part was like a therapy session with my high school bully (myself) punching me in the face, i haven't felt so called out since my math teacher said "everyone passed this test EXCEPT SOOOOOOMEONE"
Holy shit the parallels of these art sins to the actually sins was GENIUS, so happy someone finally told me that my perfectionism is selfish cause it kinda is also CJ's knees needs to come out with more bops
I never comment but since I’m early I’ll go for it. CJ you are almost the entire reason I started creating art after your R&M video. I’m sure I’m not the only person you’ve inspired. Thank you for telling me to make art even if it sucks, because no one else is.
I started learning the ukulele when I was housebound from panic attacks/agoraphobia. I played the same AJJ songs every morning. First time I played around other people was during a work-staycation at a commune and two people told me that hearing me play in the morning brought them joy. First time I played in public was busking in the city playing my favourite weird "everything is awful but that's okay" type songs. A young guy came up and asked me to play something happy and he sat beside me and cried (when I was finished I walked with him and kept him company). Last year I performed onstage for the first time and played four songs along the same lines. I was so nervous I forgot the words to all of them, my voice was shaking and I made jokes about it. One of the songs was my own about having panic attacks in public. Afterwards someone came up to me and thanked me for playing them because they needed to hear those messages and that me being brave enough to make mistakes made them feel brave enough to sing during open-mike. Right now I'm back at the start, having panic attacks whenever I think of leaving the house but I can look forward to playing music (badly) for people who need to hear it again.
This video is art to me and I am now incredibly aware of so many sins I commit and damn these verses be persuasive. It's true that the internet is both a blessing and a curse because now more than ever are we able to connect with others by authentically expressing ourselves but also the fear of being called cringe and the self-doubts in our minds if we are being true to ourselves or just chasing clout leads to a paralyzed state. But every day I find myself full of joy from fan works made with love, joy which I would not experience if they decided not to share it. Art is powerful like that. Love shows so visibly if you let it. Sometimes you just need CJ to tell you "Caring too much is not a sin and it never will be." and "If you want to make work that you love for people who love your work, the only way to do that is to make work you love and see if other people like it or not. And they might not... but they MIGHT. And you're never going to know unless you do what you convicted as excellent." and-- ...actually I might just end up quoting the whole video. Anyway I love this. Very engaging insight!
Alternating between mostly shouting "yes, this exactly, you put my thoughts into words" and then occasionally going "no, that's definitely not it" is the fantasting thing about this. So insightful with being intellectually challenging in the best way! (Sidenote: I find a lot of common ground between doing philosophy (my main thing/profession) and how you talk about doing art, so thanks for the insight about what the hell I'm doing with my life!)
God I absolutely love when CJ goes off the chain while doing what they're objectively best at: dissecting art and the purpose of artistry. It's a delight.
Holy fuck this video has so many galaxybrain takes. You speak my entire art philosophy (including the things I regularly fall short of) into being and then forcefully kick it up several flights of stairs. (That whole Western brainworm 'leave Art to Artists' thing has irked me ever since high school social pressure forced everyone out of enjoying themselves, and being profoundly Bo Burnham-level uneasy with what algorithmic curation does to human experience but still needing to make a living as a musician/producer made the marketing-priorities part VERY soothing for the soul.) Love it. This one is gonna go on a loop for a while until I can understand it as fast as you talk. Cheers x
At the 36:46 mark you say "You're a priest interpreting God for a congregation" And that might be the coldest and truest line i've ever heard on this platform. And it easily ties up my entire feelings about modern producers and distribution efforts.
You've encouraged me to continue working on the ideas that I've gathered over time and shelved. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it wants to be born. I have recently noticed that I stopped having new fresh ideas for stories or video games, then realised the reason was because I was scared of adding another thing to my backlog of projects. I hope that making time to complete some of the smaller ones will encourage me to let new ideas in once again.
I once told my friend about how I don't like the word pretentious and she said "wow that's kinda pretentious of you," and then when I tried to explain my reasoning she blamed it on college brainwashing me into becoming a hipster. So thank you for proving that I'm not alone in thinking the word should be banned from public discourse. It's nothing but a lazy excuse to punish artists for trying.
I think it's a knee jerk response for the speaker to turn their insecurity about something they don't have a response to back on the other person as a shaming insult. I'd compare it to saying 'who hurt you' with how it's also used to shut down lived experience, and flip it as if it's a flaw with the person expressing something, and frame it as if it's something they should be hiding or people will look down on them for it. Whereas with art it's shutting down lived experience of being moved by something or some creation or piece of work.
this video is genuinely beautiful and i love every minute of it, and i feel the need to say that before i completely ignore the main body of the work to tell u that the line "imagine getting shot in the head by junkook" made me fucking whEEZE
You explain this with philosophical eloquence and a twitch shitposters fervor that is EXACTLY what my brain adores. I love this and every one of your works this is genuinely inspiring and incredible, this actively improves the world in its existence. I'm glad that you'll never remove this, and can't wait for the CG reboot directors cut you silently replace this with.
as a molecular bio major with a possible art history minor, your videos are always amazing and leave me feeling incredibly seen. i rewatch them regularly and take away something new each time. sometimes i really feel like everyone around me is rushing through life and trying to get to the "good" part, but honestly as a disabled person hated by their college institution and the us gov for continuing to inconvenience them, i don't know how they justify that to themselves. sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is that inherent peace in the small things and the beauty in life. that even when i'm having the worst year of my life, i can still make a good cup of coffee, and the trees are still beautiful and a fresh breeze in the sunlight still warms me to the core. i started drawing again this year, and writing, and somewhere i lost that drive to make something perfect and just wanted to make it mine. i guess what im trying to say is thank you for your videos and the way you combine art, philosophy, morality, but also just keeping true to your intentions and likes. thank you for not making it sanitized and gentle. i think too many things are these days
Hi there, I just wanted to let you know your comment was seen and appreciated. I hope you keep enjoying those beautiful trees and good coffee, and I hope I can start to think the same way as you do more and more.
I've come back to watch this so many times now and it serves as a reminder to me to finally release that story I've been chipping away at for the last 4-5 years. That's the one project I've spent so much time on but never really told people too much about nor ever finished due to perfectionism. But one of the big reasons for that is that it handles some tough topics and I wanted to be able to approach them properly without being misconstrued. It is a difficult process... but I'm very far along as it is and I do wish to bring it out into the world! Maybe this will be the year where I figure it all out
Until around 6 months ago I basically never finished an art piece because I never thought it was good enough, then I started doing pointillism and swore to myself id finish every piece I started and now Ive seen myself improve so much more then when I never finished it, it's great how much it can change you
Hey CJ… you just made me a better person today. You’re take on using the P-Word really opened my eyes to how it’s wrong to use it to critique art. I shan’t be using that word again, subsequently becoming less of an as*hole than I was yesterday! Which is ultimately what we’re all striving for. Thank you. Love the videos. The world is better off with this art in it!
Got called out multiple times. Totally needed that, thank you. Your art and analysis makes my brain go brrrrrrr. Entertainment, serotonin and endorphins... + realism
I always come back to this video whenever I'm feeling discouraged with my art (writing), but in the back of my mind I always, always think about how my biggest dream is to make music and I keep avoiding it because "it's too hard to learn/I'm not good at it." THE SLOTHHHHHHH
I’m sitting on a story idea that I keep going back to and developing every time I revisit this video I’ve finally got a sense of how to actually build upon my past ideas rather than just starting from scratch over and over again and this video gives me the confidence and creative energy to actually do that I might actually finish a project thanks to this video
I'm only at Greed and feel personally attacked. A friend of mine and I have been developing this idea for YEARS but I'M the one who draws, and I'M the one who can breathe true life into it, but I'm so petrified of my lack in ability that I don't put pen to page (or, rather, Apple Pencil to iPad) I've described the lore to friends in the past and they're like "holy shit, this sounds awesome!" and that makes me motivated... But again, I don't believe in my own abilities
other then cheering you on, I just wanna say I can't help but hear the apple pen guy when reading "apple pencil". good luck with your comic or whatever it is :) You've been given the responsibility to do the drawing, so clearly someone trusts you're abilities! Chau
Idk if this is much help, but you can bring the idea or something related to it to life now, and then as you gain confidence and improve your skills, you can always revisit that idea. Either way, good luck OP! we believe in you
ive been actively avoiding this video when it pops up in my recommended because ive been terrified of being discouraged in making the things i desperately want to make. thank god for autoplay, because this is the most encouraging sledgehammer of a video ive ever seen.
Incredible. Countless hours of CJ The X content and I thought it couldn't be done. If they could spill wine, they'd have done it by now. But eight minutes into this video I was proven wrong. The wine was spilled. Revolutionary. Brava!
this popped up right when i was going on my 15 minute break at my wage slave job. im going get back and theyre gonna say “bro what were you doing for 44 minutes and 9 seconds?!”
11:50 "Pretentiousness really means an attempt to seem more sophisticated and prestigious than you are. It's a critique of artifice, of pompousness, of a lack of sincerity. Those more concerned with their ego and status than their art". Using this logic, I would argue that not making art out of fear of being labelled "pretentious" is pretentious in itself. Not creating because you're concerned of what others will think is valuing your "ego and status" more than your "art". Why aren't you being authentic and vulnerable? Is it because you're afraid you won't be seen as "prestigious", or skilful? Because I think that that is what fear of being seen as pretentious often comes down to, and I need to remember to ignore it. Thanks, CJ. This video is going to push me in the right direction.
You wanna talk about a transcendental experience? When I found your "Incest Folgers commercial" tonight, (after listening to you for a good minute and looking you in the eyes)-I knew that, I had just found "the one" {the extremely special one} for me to spend my free time with now! I have NOW FOR THE 1ST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER FOLLOWED SOMEONE. And your content is just a complete bonus. You are highly intelligent and the way you just open up your mouth and its like a volcano of highly articulated words just come streaming into play. Your words just flow together like a carefully orchestrated dance. You just open your mouth and out falls a fully blown animated dictionary. When you speak it's just brilliant, you are not only extremely funny BUT a person who operates on a level that I've not quite ever seen before. I am right now about to watch all of your videos with hopes that I not only get a few laughs BUT that I also learn something from you/them. Nice meeting you CJ, my name is Ashley. I would give ANYTHING to get to meet the genius in person and maybe take you out to eat at Outback Steakhouse or Bonefish. You are DEFINITELY gonna be super famous soon, I AM SPEAKING THAT INTO EXSISTANCE YOU ARE GONNA BE *SUPER FAMOUS* VERY VERY SOON!
This is so good. I had to overcome a lot of this stuff when I published my first book of poetry last year. The only way I could make myself do it is to say, “This may suck but I’m finishing it come hell or high water.” And sure enough, it’s good! It isn’t perfect, but I’m proud of it and I refined my process while working on it. Now I’m working on many other projects without all the psychological distress practicing art used to bring me. You’re doing the lord’s work, CJ
The feeling in your chest and the need to release it is an apt description for creativity, thanks for the video! Obvs have much of it to watch left but hit nail on the head! 😊
I know it is unlikely you will ever come across this message, but that changes nothing of what it means. Thank you for being so explicit with your intentions and biases, and explaining abstract concepts in an engaging way that makes sense to me. I deeply admire your work, CJ, and would love it if you looked into non-violent communication, particularly the book by Marshall Rosenburg, as a source for philosophy, particularly regarding people's expression of themselves as a representation of their feelings and needs. I, personally, find the tools and the frameworks both you and this book provide extremely useful for understanding art, people, and the world around me (if there is a difference), and, for that, I am extremely grateful.
As a filmmaker, you’re teaching me how to respect the process, respect art, respect my integrity and to let go of empty pride. So glad I found you in that cat video 😂
I hate that I am the unholy congolmeration of sins 1 and 2. In my personal defense, I HAVE released art though and been critically praised for it in my small circle. However, crippling mental health issues shattered my self-confidence to the point where I'm no longer sure I'm capable of creating anything worthwhile, hence the sins. This video simultaneously motiveated and demotivated me with warranted criticism and reopening of old scars. Annnnnd the ADHD isn't helping. Thanks, I hate and love it.
Changing art discussion reminded me of a time I went to a museum that had a number of Degas paintings and pastels. While on the tour someone commented on the display of some of the works in golden ornamental frames and the tour guide responded, "Yea, if Degas ever saw this he'd have come outraged wanting to rip them right off the walls. He was really particular about how his works be framed and if you removed or altered the original frame it would make him rather livid. Sometimes he would even make it a part of the sale that you couldn't change it and doing so would nullify the sale so he would legally be allowed to recover it back to its original state. Thank goodness he's dead and can't make a fuss!"
Coming from Super Eyepatch Wolf's Nathan Fielder video there seems to be a similar idea around 12:00 in this video about assessing the idea of "authenticity" when it comes to art, and I think it's because the definition of authenticity has transformed over the last 20 years or so. Something being "authentic" now is seen as something that is automatically of value or good just because is isn't mulled over, but I sincerely doubt most people would like it if script writers asked money for first drafts or songs came out with bad vocal takes kept in. The same thing happened with "Talent", when an artist is shown to be capable in their craft they aren't really seen as someone who has slaved months, years, or even decades to become good but someone "naturally gifted". It's ironic how unrealistic/unhealthy these skewed definitions are even though they're trying to give off the exact opposite
Hey, I just want to genuinely say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this video. This means a lot to me and how I will be moving forward with my art.
I love it when CJ personally attacks me
Not only personally attacking me but knowing I started writing but I was gonna never release it so calling in a targeted nuclear strike directly to my medulla oblongata
why does this comment say it was uploaded 5 hours ago?
CJ has the energy of a coked up squirrel that wants you dead and I'm honestly vibing with that.
I hate it when I catch me defending myself from the things cj is saying.
@@Szanth finish your stories! the world deserves to know the inner brainchild that you put passion into!
"you're not perfecting your craft, you're shielding yourself from vulnerability"
NO I'M NOT, S-SHUT UP
“Make something beautiful and then delete it” is legit a lesson I was forced to do not only in art school but OCD therapy. It’s painful but brilliant. If you delete it and can never recreate it, it motivates you to keep chasing that art forever, in spite. But if you can recreate it, you can be smug in the knowledge that YOU are the valuable thing, not your art. Either way, it’s a fantastic exercise
Basically drawing the best drawing you’ve ever drawn on a test paper you’ll never get back
Long ago I saw a NatGeo page about Buddhist sand mandalas. People would spend years creating these beautiful works of art with colored sand only to wipe them away the second they were finished. Something about nonattachment and the impermanence of all things. That always made me uncomfortable in a good way and I've never been able to shake it.
Sometimes the purpose of making art is the actual process of making, not the art object itself or anyone else's experience of it.
Thanks for expanding on it! really didn't get it at first
I imagine it’s the same feeling when I spend days and a hell of a lot of effort on writing a paper or a large segment of code, am finally happy with the product and feeling super accomplished, and then I wake up XD
This hurts in an inspirational way where I know it is right and true and it would help me the most, but a majority of my being is violently in opposition to this.... damn it.
the line “you don’t sing because you’re a singer, you sing because you’re a person” really hit me
Also, everything you do, you do because you're a person.
As a vocal teacher you have no idea how many times I’ve tried to emphasize that to people who say “Oh I can’t sing I wasn’t born with that talent”
@@glowco.717That kind of logic always bugs me. Like I wasn’t born great at drawing. I’m still kind of crap at it until I get into the groove. But you gotta do it anyway to get better.
I spent my whole childhood and tweenhood and teenhood singing in various things, but now that I’m an adult both my mom and my partner critique my singing when I’m, like, singing in the car or something. I keep telling them: this is not for YOU. This is for ME.
the "i'll kill you" lunge forward while still keeping the wine glass perfectly level was somehow so beautiful and perfect
I literally feel like I quote the “ILL KILL YOU” all the time
CJ videos always sound like a Canadian Eminem rapping acapella if he got a graduate degree in philosophy
Thanks Foreign now I can't unhear it!
Yeah that’s it lmaoo exactly.
Make better rap references. Desire to.
It's too early in the morning for me to be this slain
I subbed to your channel about 2 or 3 months ago. Just checked and somehow, I was unsubbed.
The real art expression here is seeing how many different ways CJ can sit in a chair
Bonus points when he makes it spin
I mean he’s bisexual so that’s expected
I mean they’re bisexual what do you expect
CJ's video structure is the opposite of stream of consciousness. The arguments are well constructed and focused on the subject, but the subject is so ethereal and complex and the approach so unconventional that the video bounces in so many directions, and I'm here for it.
EDIT: Alas, I must come clean. My comment is a bounty for Art sins, for I have been witholding this comment from the world for 2 months (Sloth) solely because, desiring for the most people possible to view my comment, I waited for the upload of a new video in order to cash in on the limited competition and algorith favoring slavish engagement with the platform (Lust), which I have edited after posting becaus eof a few minor changes that ultimately would not have impacted the meaning of my words (Wrath).
Also I'm a sock puppet account for Yoon Suk-yeol, the standing president of South Korea (Bonus Sin)
this is a really good comment hehe
I watched this video about 16 times and I quote it on a regular basis, I have forced about 50 artists to watch it, I keep recommending it to everyone who talks to me, it permanently altered my brain chemistry and its integral to my life as an adult and I need everyone to feel the same way.
Edit: its that time of the year again
Edit 2: it's that time of the year again
Edit 3: Yes I am here again
Edit 4: I have printed a summary of this video and taped it to the wall behind my monitor that I look at whenever I space out
Edit 5: Someone reblogged my own tumblr post screaming about this video back onto my dash so here I am of course
could you tell me what is on this summary? I want to have something similar on my wall.
Just like me fr
me with AnRel’s the art of Semantics 10/10 would recommend and it’s actually very well connected to this video
Share the summary if it please you
@@TheMarkFlanagan the summary is just the chapter subnames from the video so it goes like
Sloth - Depriving the Universe of it's U
Greed - Perfectionism and Preciousness
Pride - Using the word Pretencious in vain
Wrath - Taking back what is no longer yours
Lust - Glory without meaning
Envy - Suffocating the Suffrage
Gluttony - Game of Thrones Season 8
Ive watched the video enough times to where no further elaboration is needed
just found out about this dude....ADHD at its peak performance. this is the only viable pace of speech and style of editing to keep me genuinely engaged and glued to the screen. obsessed with the points, the piercing cultural analysis and the way you seem to grasp perfect vocabulary that has already arranged itself into cohesive and deeply insightful bite-sized sentences out of the air. instant most interesting person in the room award
just found him yesterday and im 1000% with you lol
It is weirdly validating to watch someone methodically explain and deconstruct all of the thoughts you have had about art and art production but couldn't put into words.
This might be my favorite go-to link for aspiring artists now.
"Releasing art is a radical and defiant act of self love and bravery"
Thank you CJ, I needed this pep talk.
my 1 issue with this is the implication that art needs to be released to be valid, complete, or fulfilling. of all the art i've made the most valuable is the stuff i keep to myself. also, i often find that the art i've made that is most popular is some of the least fulfilling art i've made, and things i really did like making and still really like often dont elicit that response from other people.
whats more, the idea that art *will be released* is part of a subconscious or conscious shaper of what the art becomes when you are making it. even the unselfconscious and confident artist is influenced by this idea. i think there's value in creating art with no intention of ever releasing it. you can always change your mind after the fact.
@ponpon i mean i can see points in the talk where that is who it's aimed at but i got a lot of the video out of it for myself, that was inspiring, the applies just as much to my private art as my public art and how my perception of such has shifted, hence my comment
I'll share my thoughts in case it helps others.
I find myself to be super anti-authority, driven by my desire to set my own course in things. I absolute despise even the slightest coercion to an absolutely disproportionate degree, where I've even at times been called irrational for the extent to which I respond. What this quote means to me, is it frames me not releasing something as the mass voice of judgement from the world, and everyone around me whether they do so intentionally or subconsciously by judgmental knee jerk reaction based on their own imperfect perception. Framing the releasing of art as the retaliation speaks directly to my innate response against any coercion, and if that coercion is the, even if accidental, force of losing confidence in myself from those around me, well....there's no way I'll let them do that to me!
@@lethaldream50 Great insight, I do agree with you to some extent and I have found value in creating art intended for my eyes only.
In reflecting on my own experience as an artist, I think the imagined outside audience still exists when I create art without any intentions of releasing it. I have let the fear of being seen prevent me from sharing art for a long time, and used to convince myself that the reason I never released art was because it was especially for "me only" but really, who is that anyway? I think there is always an audience, real or imagined, no matter what.
I am so grateful to artists who commit to the brave act of sharing art because it enriches my life every day. Am I that brave yet? Absolutely not, but maybe one day soon :)
I’m re engaging w this video because this is too good to not have more views.
Did not expect to have an inspirational speech yelled at me today
10 out of 10
"The universe needs u!"
-CJ, probably
@@_Tozzie_ a perfect summation
In other words, you did not expect a CJ the X video today.
@@mockturtlesuppe exactly
Common CJ w
“If it falls flat at least you meant it” has been my go-to attitude while making things for the last 15 years. You’ll regret disingenuous cash grabs/chasing attention with hasty trends waaay more than something you poured yourself into that just wasn’t quite acknowledged the way you hoped.
I love how CJ can say something that *sounds* overly dramatic like 'season 8 of GoT was a sin' and then in a few minutes manage to completely justify it, and have me nodding my head and laughing in total agreement.
CJ is like the first artist i found that isn't embarrassed by the fact that they make art. It always annoys me when artists try to talk about meaning in their art and they have to start off with "this is gonna sound so pretentious". Like, no bitch, you made the art because you wanted to communicate meaning. I like that All Eyes on Me has good production, but that's not why I think it's amazing, I think it's amazing because of it's meaning. So, it's really refreshing to see someone own that they make art because they want to express meaning, instead of trying to tiptoe around that fact to not get called pretentious or as "caring too much".
also cool makeup
I think we just all got programmed to be ashamed of anything that could potentially sound "pretentious" or artistic or whatever and so it's a reflex. Kind of like, "I know I'm not an artist but here's my art." I've said that so many times but it wasn't until some kid in my creative writing class asked our professor if she was actually a writer or just teaching writing that I realized how fucked up our idea of "the artist" is. There's a push/pull between downplaying your art because you're not sure if people will take you seriously and owning your art and all the dumb ways people can perceive either of those things.
It's trendy to make a mockery of earnestness. and art itself is earnestness
It took me a bit to lear that its okay to be vulnerable/earnest. 😊
I would actually interpret "art is never finished, only abandoned" more positively, as in, your art is never going to speak up and tell you "congratulations! I'm done now, this is the objectively optimal point where you should not change anything anymore" so it's okay to stop when you don't feel objectively sure your art is perfect.
Thank you for this.
I look at it as " you're never finished as an artist" your passion never really goes away, you just leave or lock it up for what ever reason, but it'll never be gone, or done. It is you. Don't abandon you.
"You don't get to be a perfectionist if it is unproven up to this point if you can even make a thing."
This is actually incredibly empowering. Finish a thing and show it to the world before you start trying to fine-tune every aspect of your process or endlessly edit the final draft.
L I F E C H A N G I N G ^ ^ ^
in an entirely non-parasocial way i love this video and i love that it was created.
9:58 For real. There was this guy at the church I attend who sang very loudly, and it did not sound good, but you could tell that he loved it. It made him happy to do it. That man was closer to Jesus than I'll ever be.
you IMMEDIATELY validated an experience I had with a professor a few months back, I was trying to learn how to do calligraphy digitally so I could do a fancy handwritten title for my short film, and once it was complete and we were at the early screening stage, one of the profs "critiques" on my film was that "It had been done before, so it better be good" and specifically mentioned that my title "looked like it was trying too hard" and because of that I changed it. And now a few months later I'm still pissed as fuck that I payed so much fucking money just for one of my supposed "mentors" to shit all over my confidence and make me question my abilities and taste when it comes to what I'm trying to do. I was so angry and unmotivated, that teacher immediately lost any respect he had earned previously, and it killed a lot of the love I'd previously had for my project
I can relate sooooo hard. This might be a little long so I apologize. But anyway, I went to Music school only to get out of where I was living and I said I like music I’d like to learn how to make it, and also what it means to be someone who makes music I guess. That was 2020 when I transferred (junior year but had gaps before) so covid hit and all my in person hands on experience went out the window. But the worst part was that my teachers were insufferable out of touch ego maniacs with a baskin robbins variety of personality problems. I wasn’t learning but I sure as hell was paying. And all the while I’m being shit on by my recording professor who’s also my academic advisor, and when I go to report him TWICE to the assistant dean for that and plenty more, the other professor shows up to that meeting and just verbally abused me in front of the assistant dean. Got me feeling I’m on trial now in a weird twist but I held my own and told him to gtfo and he told me he hopes to never see me again and I said likewise bitch 😂. Here I am now finally tiptoeing back into art and music because music school had me so fucked up with impostor syndrome and plenty of other of these art sins. I still can’t make a full song, video, drawing, etc.
Replace "trying too hard" with "maybe something a little more understated would look better" and then it could be a valid criticism
It’s weird because this seems like a western problem. I watch Anime, and I used to find it strange how there were sooo many “reincarnated into another world” series. Now I kind of admire that, because the amount of times I think to myself “wow I love the way this world building is done or how these characters are developed. I would love for someone else to do the same but more fleshed out than this.” I always remember that us Americans can’t touch the idea of “copying,” without having a brain meltdown.
TLDR I wish Americans could copy general ideas and create new shows around them.
@@NotTooStraight Maybe it's the individualism, the idea that you and your art need to be unique and if the art isn't solely from you it isn't good. It's the same bullshit as self-made billionaries, it's not possible to invent culture or summon $1B by yourself. You have to respect the community you've grown in, but American society is still relearning how to do that. Every concept is new and none are, get used to that dialectic and just make stuff that's good wherever it comes from.
Lmao, yea it reminded me so much of how every animation teacher hates anime
this should be a book
No, it's perfect.
But the medium is part of the message
0:00 Introduction
3:26 Chapter 1: Sloth
5:39 Chapter 2: Greed
9:20 Chapter 3: Pride
14:19 Chapter 4: Wrath
23:16 Chapter 5: Lust
32:46 Chapter 6: Envy
37:11 Chapter 7: Gluttony
Cannot tell if this is a joke cuz it outright goes against the video lol
yall this is cj’s brother,,
Friendly reminder to everyone that NaNoWriMo will start next week! For the people who don't already know, it stands for National Novel Writing Month and it's mainly an excuse for both writers or non-professionals to try and write a whole book in only 30 days. The focus is simply on writing a lot, so quality is not really an issue, but something you can work on and edit afterwards. If anyone wants to follow CJ's advice about just getting your art out there this is one such opportunity for that to happen!
This is gonna be my first year trying nanowrimo, wish me luck lol. And if you’re writing, good luck to you!
This is a great reminder!! To add on, don't forget that it doesn't just have to be books you write: write songs, poems, scripts, dialogue for a game, or just your own journal. I know I'm gonna be focused on scripts this year
What is the nation why is it national
I’ll be trying to write my first novel! Happy writing folks!
which nation lol
My 'art flame' felt super extinguished for a couple years now, and this straight up just gave me the spark to re-ignite. Huge thank you CJ! This is easily in the top 10 videos I've ever lucked into finding on this site.
holy shit i apparently needed to hear this. my big gargantuan art sin is greed, and i've been scared to finish an artwork for months now even though i basically finished it ages ago. i've battled perfectionism my entire life and have told friends, teachers and therapists alike that i will try to conquer it but i still get paralysed by the expectations that no one has for me but myself. it's strange knowing you're the reason you can't evolve but still feeling powerless to do it. but you gave me another much needed push, and i'm challenging myself to finish this piece by the end of the day and post it online even though i'm scared of how other people will feel about it!
I identify with you completely! It's crippling
i believe in u!!!! finish that bitch!!!! u can do it!!!!!!
Did you?
I'll be 38 in a few weeks....
CJ has done more to inspire me to express my aesthetic self than anyone else in my entire adult life. If you're reading this, it's legit never too late to be happy, whole and giving with your craft.
Thanks CJ. I hope you're as inspiring to other artists as you are to me. You reminded me of how important art is in my life.
That’s really sweet, I hope you’re able to focus on your art, whatever form it takes, with new passion and joy ❤ keep this feeling in mind when you’re struggling artistically, or even blast this video again to get that inspiration hit again, that’s what I do hehe
39 here and hell yeah. I always leave with something when I watch a cj video. I get pumped.. love that energy. fidget muse.
So happy to hear that. Thank you for for sharing and inspiring us 💙
Just tuned 39, the section about not keeping my art to myself had me in tears. CJ has definitely inspired me. Remember - age is nothing! Good luck on your creative journey 💗
I've been "producing" music since I was 20 and now I'm 25 with around 50 started projects. None completely finished... CJs vids have been inspiring me to actually start completing my projects even if I'm dissatisfied with it, which has been such a large barrier for me.
CJ kind of makes me believe that someone in fact does need my silly fanfics. It's difficult to call it art but it is a creative process still
Honestly in my opinion fanfic is completely art! Like, you consumed this piece of media and it so consumed you that you decided to have it forever be a part of your creative experiences and human experience! Like bro that’s super cool I love fanfic 👍
It Is Art.
It absolutely is art! Put it out there people deserve to see it
Oh it definitely is. It's interacting with the art, not just consuming it for your own enjoyment, but liking it so much that you want to share your own vision. Then other people can also see that, see how excited someone was about the art piece, and appreciate both your vision and the original one. It tells the creators that you appreciated them, and you can have fun and learn from this. It may not be perfect, but it's an expression of the limited perspective you have and that can also be fantastic.
yeeeeessss do ittttt 🍬🍬🍬
Shout out to the salt goblin skeleton holding CJ’s wine.
Love to see another D20 fan, the salt goblins were one of my favorite parts of AcoFAF
I didn’t realize the skeleton was there until halfway through the video
i was raised by an art family so my first encounter with "trying too hard" was one of my friends in middle school asking if her hair was trying too hard. i was mystified at the concept and she had to explain. years later as a teen i still found myself consumed with fears of trying too hard or being pretentious with my art. i only recently feel like at 23 im finally accepting how much i like my art and that its ok it's different and weird. i wish caring about things werent seen as inherently bad by society. but then again, if we cared about real things and listened to our bodies capitalistic america would collapse 😂 thanks for this video and many others. always inspires me to work a little harder at my projects ❤
only nanowrimo pep talk i needed, thanks cj
Ten minutes in and I need to stop to take furious notes and lie down to let it all seep in. This is so healing
Literally I’m watching this for a second time so I can write notes lol
This and the Rick and morty one is the kick in the ass I need.
Same 🥲
One huge problem that didn't get explored much here (though it was hinted at with the singer being pressured to get on tiktok) is that capitalist society often forces people to commit these sins. I would like to draw only what brings me joy, but popular art i care less about and commissions help me pay rent. I would love to focus on finishing my latest book, but after a long day of work at my day job and making art for other people in the evening, where is the time and energy for my devotion? It can be Sloth, or it can be Fatigue. It can be Lust, or it can be Need. Most artists either have a non-art job to survive and make art in their free time, or they'll have an art job that commits some of the sins mentionned here. It's not as easy as "just make the art you want regardless of success" because being successful takes a huge burden off your shoulders and gives you the resources to make better art. So, is it better to sell your soul in order to be free later, or will you lose the love of the art in the process? Or is it better not to touch at the artistic industries and only create at your own terms, but risk losing the time and energy to create, making it harder and harder?
In my experience, and I've been in a lot of creative communities over the last twenty years and have heard all of this before (shit, i've _said_ a lot of this before, when i was young and thought i knew a lot more than i did), that's a huge blindspot to people who are talking the way CJ is in this video. And putting it under the framework of sin only makes it worse, because while some may take it as an inspiration to not do these things that they're being told are bad, a lot more are just going to take it as more reasons to beat themselves up over things they're already beating themselves up for. It's a terrible mindset to adopt, and not one you should be encouraging others to follow in.
But hey, that could just be the bitterness of a slothful burnout talking.
I love the questions you pose, and I, personally, don't have one clear answer. My beliefs about the sanctity of art may not be as rigidly defined as CJ's, but, nonetheless, I do have something to share here. There is no shame on most any individual for being oppressed by a system. The function of capitalism does not promote good, sinless art (by CJ's definition) in many cases. I think it is amazing and inspiring that people pursue their passions underneath the boot that encourages you to pick up your own bootstraps, like you even starting your book in the first place, but I don't think it's always feasible, with the current state of the world, like you've said. All this considered, making art on your own terms can be a great form of protest, and there is no revolution without art, but an effective strike isn't just one person doing it, it's usually when the majority realises how much they dislike the status quo and, with communication and direct action, collaborates to change it, no?
@@gorimbaud I feel you, and I'm sorry you're experiencing burnout. I hope you find your love for art again (and I hope the same for me). It's fucking hard to make joyful art in this profit-obsessed alienating society. I reckon CJ spoke of these "sins" the way some preachers would, as inevitable pitfalls of the human conditions we need to work against, and to me it didn't come off as shaming or guilt-tripping so much as their typical brand of animated uncouth pep talk, but you're right. If someone is already feeling guilt, this could be a damaging framework rather than a helpful one. I hope people who watch this are gentle to themselves
@@rowanpaws2975 I appreciate you saying that, thanks! This society is tough to survive in, and I'm one of the lucky ones (roof over my head, good health, steady job). I love Virginia Woolf's essay "a room of one's own", where she talks about what one needs to write and make art (material comfort and a lot less sexism). In the pyramid of needs, there's a reason why the needs of the body come before the soul - a human can survive (miserably) with no self-fulfillment, but no man can make joyful art when they're hungry or exhausted or homeless or fearing for their life.
@@j.m.lascar5002 Of course! It's also so important to be grateful for what we do have in the moment. I absolutely adore Virginia Woolf's work, and I've recently become far more acquainted with her, particularly in relation to her novel Orlando. I'm going to be writing an essay about Orlando soon, actually, in comparison to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, particularly with the lense focused on the theme of class and status, and I think it's a lovely happenstance that her writing was mentioned, by you, outside of my little brainstorming bubble of analysis. Also, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a lovely concept, one that I think Non-violent Communication, particularly the book by Marshall Rosenberg, expands on wonderfully. The core principle (according to my understanding of it), that every communication that happens between anyone is an expression of a need that we all share as humans, and a feeling related to that need, in how it is either being met or not being met, is a very useful tool, in my opinion, in understanding others and the world around me. I highly recommend you to check it out, if you want; I think the audiobook is free on Marshall Rosenberg's UA-cam channel. That, and the core ideas of Transformational NLP, by Carl Buchheit, have become key pieces of my philosophy, and I am guessing that you might find them very interesting as well.
I like to imagine that CJ sensed my will to ✨do art✨ waver and was like, “these bitches need another goddamn video”
same, i haven’t really been creating in a while and been feeling bad about it so this was perfect timing
8 minutes in and im gonna publish the finished thing that i've been keeping locked up for a year and a half because it doesnt feel finished enough. thanks cj
Thank you for this video, CJ. It's been years since I've created any art, but I've never stopped thinking about it. I think this might have given me the kick in the rear I've been needing. Thank you so much.
im excited to see what you make
New CJ The X videos feel like whatever a happiness jumpscare would be. I am never expecting it and an always delighted to see it
You put this perfectly
CJ’s throwaway line in the Rick and Morty video “don’t negotiate with terrorists your ego is a terrorist” was what allowed me to remove the censors I’d put on myself.
I’ve always wanted to be a reality game show producer and last Saturday I tested my first game. The idea of having my brain baby judged was frightening leading up to the event. But once the game got going holy shit I was in creative bliss as so many of my ideas were completely hits and others presented themselves as tweaks.
Thanks for working myself out of this art sin, CJ the Xtra Speed Talker. You’re amazing
CJ often feels like a speed run of art stuff, in the good sense that they 150% understand what they’re talking about to the point that they can sprint through it and still deliver more insight than any possible 44 minute lecture I’ve ever heard. It’s fucking incredible and I can’t wait for more.
Also while this deranged but intimately understandable way of delivering jibes with my brain I can’t help but feel jealous that my ADHD doesn’t manifest in this way. God I wish I could be so salient and fluent and insightful in any aspect of my life
I’m no artist but even my interests and hobbies suffer from these sins whenever I dare to think about doing something, creating, learning, or anything.
Your comment was very salient and fluent and insightful.
I fully relate to your sentiment, gotta say though I've noticed I enter my own 'CJ mode' when some wrong or injustice pisses me off and sends me on a tirade of spiteful retaliation. So I think that might mean we each have our trigger, our GO signal, and that maybe you just need to find yours.
Peak sloth: I have a little story based vaguely on a dream that lives in the back of my head. It has lived there for literal years. I use it purely to go to sleep. Specifically I use one scene that I have a full script for to stop the bad thoughts before bed.
“Generate and offer your art sincerely without the material expectation of reward” 31:54
This hits me so hard right now. A few weeks ago I had entered a huge art contest for high schoolers in my state. In the contest they rate your art from 1-4 and the pieces rated 4 can go to a state wide competition. I luckily got a 4 but had not been chosen for state, and it’s hurt me. Since then the only thing that I can think of when making art is “what can I do to make the judges see my art, what can I do to make them like it”. After all I put literal days into my piece and since it hadn’t gone to state I felt like I had wasted that time. But hearing this is making me slow down and realize, it doesn’t matter if they see it or not, I should just make something I enjoy instead. So thank you for that
I live for CJ's passive surprise every time a drink being waved around is spilled
watching cj videos feels like if my art teachers were actually good at their job and on aderall and threw whiteboard markers at me for interrupting
Timestamps for ease of referencing.
3:28 Sloth 5:40 Greed 9:22 Pride 14:21 Wrath 23:17 Lust 32:47 Envy 37:12 Gluttony
it’s as if this is in the description…
don't forget the bonus of sending BTS to the military 🕴🏽
@@zwishking6032 That was either added in later or didn't load in for me previously for whatever reason, because I did check for timestamps in the description and there weren't any. I made timestamps for myself for ease of finding different parts.
Thanks
I love watching CJ's videos on x2 speed because getting yelled at about art at mach 20 is a transcendent experience
This is the most cultured comment I've ever seen.
The sections on Sloth and Greed singlehandedly kicked my ass into restarting work on a script I had been working on for a video essay I really feel a strong attachment to, so thank you for that genuinely. Fucking _Excellent_ video from start to finish.
"Language, science, philopsophy. All afterthoughts." This quote is so important for me to remember. I love learning so much that I let it get in the way of my doing.
Ngl if this video had come out just a couple hours earlier the first sin woulda made me very bitter as a long burnout had devoured my desire to create art a couple years back. But. It just so happens that about an hour ago I went through my old sketchbooks on a whim to organize them and I am now willing to admit that yes, I would like to Art again.
congratulations!! arting is good for you!!!!
DO IT!
As someone who very much so fell into the "Big number on art = good art" spiral within my recent fan communities, I wish I had this video sooner. The entire Lust section feels like a punch to the gut. These are all lessons I've had to learn over the past few years, but never truly had the words to explain why they'd affected me so much. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for making this.
I watch this video twice a week. Love you CJ!
"It isn't a sin to care too much and it never will be." Is everything I need and more. Thank you!
The pretentiousness point is incredibly valuable culturally and societally. Took a really great class “Art As History” with a brilliant author and historian April Masten (wrote a book worth your time “Art Work”) where we examined and broke down the art mystique historically and where and how art went from another valuable trade/labor to a sort of exalted “othered” mystified product of singular genius. Really made me appreciate and value my work more as a writer and performer and made me feel more valid. Also, made me more skeptical of the fetishization of the idea of artists as rare, divine oracles apart from the rest of people who have a trade and work hard at it regularly.
I feel like this channel is a series of shower thoughts that were given lots and lots of fertilizer and sunlight and allowed to grow up to their maximum potential. It's always a fun ride and you can never entirely predict where the discussion is going to end up.
THIS IS EXPLAINS IT! There was just some unexplainable vibe that CJ videos always give off and I never could explain it but this is pretty perfect
I DM a Dungeons & Dragons game and I consider it art. When I run a game and the players and I vibe it's a beautiful thing. Total zen flow.
the nazis were also the ones who coined, "degenerate art" when referring to abstract, surrealism, basically anything not aesthetically sound, or anything that challenged the status quo
The Pride part about art and singing is absolutely wonderful and true. 💜🌌
The greed part was like a therapy session with my high school bully (myself) punching me in the face, i haven't felt so called out since my math teacher said "everyone passed this test EXCEPT SOOOOOOMEONE"
Holy shit the parallels of these art sins to the actually sins was GENIUS, so happy someone finally told me that my perfectionism is selfish cause it kinda is also CJ's knees needs to come out with more bops
"I don't think GOT Season 8 is bad, I think it's wrong" is possibly the best 1 sentence descriptor I could ever hear tbh
I never comment but since I’m early I’ll go for it.
CJ you are almost the entire reason I started creating art after your R&M video. I’m sure I’m not the only person you’ve inspired. Thank you for telling me to make art even if it sucks, because no one else is.
I have had a very similar experience to this, I think we are in good company 🙂
Hell yeah!!
I started learning the ukulele when I was housebound from panic attacks/agoraphobia. I played the same AJJ songs every morning. First time I played around other people was during a work-staycation at a commune and two people told me that hearing me play in the morning brought them joy. First time I played in public was busking in the city playing my favourite weird "everything is awful but that's okay" type songs. A young guy came up and asked me to play something happy and he sat beside me and cried (when I was finished I walked with him and kept him company). Last year I performed onstage for the first time and played four songs along the same lines. I was so nervous I forgot the words to all of them, my voice was shaking and I made jokes about it. One of the songs was my own about having panic attacks in public. Afterwards someone came up to me and thanked me for playing them because they needed to hear those messages and that me being brave enough to make mistakes made them feel brave enough to sing during open-mike.
Right now I'm back at the start, having panic attacks whenever I think of leaving the house but I can look forward to playing music (badly) for people who need to hear it again.
This video is art to me and I am now incredibly aware of so many sins I commit and damn these verses be persuasive.
It's true that the internet is both a blessing and a curse because now more than ever are we able to connect with others by authentically expressing ourselves but also the fear of being called cringe and the self-doubts in our minds if we are being true to ourselves or just chasing clout leads to a paralyzed state.
But every day I find myself full of joy from fan works made with love, joy which I would not experience if they decided not to share it. Art is powerful like that. Love shows so visibly if you let it.
Sometimes you just need CJ to tell you "Caring too much is not a sin and it never will be." and "If you want to make work that you love for people who love your work, the only way to do that is to make work you love and see if other people like it or not. And they might not... but they MIGHT. And you're never going to know unless you do what you convicted as excellent." and-- ...actually I might just end up quoting the whole video.
Anyway I love this. Very engaging insight!
Alternating between mostly shouting "yes, this exactly, you put my thoughts into words" and then occasionally going "no, that's definitely not it" is the fantasting thing about this. So insightful with being intellectually challenging in the best way!
(Sidenote: I find a lot of common ground between doing philosophy (my main thing/profession) and how you talk about doing art, so thanks for the insight about what the hell I'm doing with my life!)
I’m interested, what points did you disagree with?
God I absolutely love when CJ goes off the chain while doing what they're objectively best at: dissecting art and the purpose of artistry. It's a delight.
Holy fuck this video has so many galaxybrain takes.
You speak my entire art philosophy (including the things I regularly fall short of) into being and then forcefully kick it up several flights of stairs. (That whole Western brainworm 'leave Art to Artists' thing has irked me ever since high school social pressure forced everyone out of enjoying themselves, and being profoundly Bo Burnham-level uneasy with what algorithmic curation does to human experience but still needing to make a living as a musician/producer made the marketing-priorities part VERY soothing for the soul.)
Love it. This one is gonna go on a loop for a while until I can understand it as fast as you talk.
Cheers x
At the 36:46 mark you say "You're a priest interpreting God for a congregation"
And that might be the coldest and truest line i've ever heard on this platform.
And it easily ties up my entire feelings about modern producers and distribution efforts.
You've encouraged me to continue working on the ideas that I've gathered over time and shelved. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it wants to be born.
I have recently noticed that I stopped having new fresh ideas for stories or video games, then realised the reason was because I was scared of adding another thing to my backlog of projects.
I hope that making time to complete some of the smaller ones will encourage me to let new ideas in once again.
this video is almost singlehandedly giving me the strength to share my art online
I once told my friend about how I don't like the word pretentious and she said "wow that's kinda pretentious of you," and then when I tried to explain my reasoning she blamed it on college brainwashing me into becoming a hipster. So thank you for proving that I'm not alone in thinking the word should be banned from public discourse. It's nothing but a lazy excuse to punish artists for trying.
I think it's a knee jerk response for the speaker to turn their insecurity about something they don't have a response to back on the other person as a shaming insult.
I'd compare it to saying 'who hurt you' with how it's also used to shut down lived experience, and flip it as if it's a flaw with the person expressing something, and frame it as if it's something they should be hiding or people will look down on them for it. Whereas with art it's shutting down lived experience of being moved by something or some creation or piece of work.
this video is genuinely beautiful and i love every minute of it, and i feel the need to say that before i completely ignore the main body of the work to tell u that the line "imagine getting shot in the head by junkook" made me fucking whEEZE
same hahahaahah, i was so focused the entire video and then that lmao
You explain this with philosophical eloquence and a twitch shitposters fervor that is EXACTLY what my brain adores. I love this and every one of your works this is genuinely inspiring and incredible, this actively improves the world in its existence. I'm glad that you'll never remove this, and can't wait for the CG reboot directors cut you silently replace this with.
“I do that for fun sometimes…. Bitch!” Is such a genuine flex and I’m jealous.
as a molecular bio major with a possible art history minor, your videos are always amazing and leave me feeling incredibly seen. i rewatch them regularly and take away something new each time. sometimes i really feel like everyone around me is rushing through life and trying to get to the "good" part, but honestly as a disabled person hated by their college institution and the us gov for continuing to inconvenience them, i don't know how they justify that to themselves. sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is that inherent peace in the small things and the beauty in life. that even when i'm having the worst year of my life, i can still make a good cup of coffee, and the trees are still beautiful and a fresh breeze in the sunlight still warms me to the core. i started drawing again this year, and writing, and somewhere i lost that drive to make something perfect and just wanted to make it mine. i guess what im trying to say is thank you for your videos and the way you combine art, philosophy, morality, but also just keeping true to your intentions and likes. thank you for not making it sanitized and gentle. i think too many things are these days
Hi there, I just wanted to let you know your comment was seen and appreciated. I hope you keep enjoying those beautiful trees and good coffee, and I hope I can start to think the same way as you do more and more.
"sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is that inherent peace in the small things " same
This fact that video doubles as an exploration of the philosophy behind the 7 deadly sins almost incidentally ... Beautiful
He's like this passionate teacher. He speaks with a lot grit. He's effort comes thru and the viewer can feel it. Thanks for the inspiration.
I've come back to watch this so many times now and it serves as a reminder to me to finally release that story I've been chipping away at for the last 4-5 years. That's the one project I've spent so much time on but never really told people too much about nor ever finished due to perfectionism. But one of the big reasons for that is that it handles some tough topics and I wanted to be able to approach them properly without being misconstrued. It is a difficult process... but I'm very far along as it is and I do wish to bring it out into the world! Maybe this will be the year where I figure it all out
His insights, his music, EVERYTHING this man creates is f*cking GOLDEN.
Until around 6 months ago I basically never finished an art piece because I never thought it was good enough, then I started doing pointillism and swore to myself id finish every piece I started and now Ive seen myself improve so much more then when I never finished it, it's great how much it can change you
Hey CJ… you just made me a better person today. You’re take on using the P-Word really opened my eyes to how it’s wrong to use it to critique art. I shan’t be using that word again, subsequently becoming less of an as*hole than I was yesterday! Which is ultimately what we’re all striving for.
Thank you. Love the videos. The world is better off with this art in it!
Got called out multiple times. Totally needed that, thank you. Your art and analysis makes my brain go brrrrrrr. Entertainment, serotonin and endorphins... + realism
I always come back to this video whenever I'm feeling discouraged with my art (writing), but in the back of my mind I always, always think about how my biggest dream is to make music and I keep avoiding it because "it's too hard to learn/I'm not good at it." THE SLOTHHHHHHH
I’m sitting on a story idea that I keep going back to and developing every time I revisit this video
I’ve finally got a sense of how to actually build upon my past ideas rather than just starting from scratch over and over again and this video gives me the confidence and creative energy to actually do that I might actually finish a project thanks to this video
I'm only at Greed and feel personally attacked. A friend of mine and I have been developing this idea for YEARS but I'M the one who draws, and I'M the one who can breathe true life into it, but I'm so petrified of my lack in ability that I don't put pen to page (or, rather, Apple Pencil to iPad)
I've described the lore to friends in the past and they're like "holy shit, this sounds awesome!" and that makes me motivated... But again, I don't believe in my own abilities
other then cheering you on, I just wanna say I can't help but hear the apple pen guy when reading "apple pencil". good luck with your comic or whatever it is :) You've been given the responsibility to do the drawing, so clearly someone trusts you're abilities!
Chau
I BELIVE IN YOU
@@coenpelsrijcken8530 i think of the pineapple pen apple pen guy too! Thank you for your kindness ❤
@@HelloHello-zk4el THANK YOU STRANGER! ❤
Idk if this is much help, but you can bring the idea or something related to it to life now, and then as you gain confidence and improve your skills, you can always revisit that idea. Either way, good luck OP! we believe in you
the entire game industry needs to watch this video and make it echo infinitely into their ears. sick knee verse btw.
"having discriminating taste should not cut you off from others, it should deepen your engagement with the mundane." Gosh.
I know this video is like a year old, but it helped me push through many project during these past months.
CJ, you are relevant to me
Thank you
ive been actively avoiding this video when it pops up in my recommended because ive been terrified of being discouraged in making the things i desperately want to make. thank god for autoplay, because this is the most encouraging sledgehammer of a video ive ever seen.
Incredible. Countless hours of CJ The X content and I thought it couldn't be done. If they could spill wine, they'd have done it by now. But eight minutes into this video I was proven wrong. The wine was spilled. Revolutionary. Brava!
im in the psych ward this video made my day
this popped up right when i was going on my 15 minute break at my wage slave job. im going get back and theyre gonna say “bro what were you doing for 44 minutes and 9 seconds?!”
11:50 "Pretentiousness really means an attempt to seem more sophisticated and prestigious than you are. It's a critique of artifice, of pompousness, of a lack of sincerity. Those more concerned with their ego and status than their art".
Using this logic, I would argue that not making art out of fear of being labelled "pretentious" is pretentious in itself. Not creating because you're concerned of what others will think is valuing your "ego and status" more than your "art". Why aren't you being authentic and vulnerable? Is it because you're afraid you won't be seen as "prestigious", or skilful? Because I think that that is what fear of being seen as pretentious often comes down to, and I need to remember to ignore it. Thanks, CJ. This video is going to push me in the right direction.
You wanna talk about a transcendental experience? When I found your "Incest Folgers commercial" tonight, (after listening to you for a good minute and looking you in the eyes)-I knew that, I had just found "the one" {the extremely special one} for me to spend my free time with now! I have NOW FOR THE 1ST TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I HAVE EVER FOLLOWED SOMEONE. And your content is just a complete bonus. You are highly intelligent and the way you just open up your mouth and its like a volcano of highly articulated words just come streaming into play. Your words just flow together like a carefully orchestrated dance. You just open your mouth and out falls a fully blown animated dictionary. When you speak it's just brilliant, you are not only extremely funny BUT a person who operates on a level that I've not quite ever seen before. I am right now about to watch all of your videos with hopes that I not only get a few laughs BUT that I also learn something from you/them. Nice meeting you CJ, my name is Ashley. I would give ANYTHING to get to meet the genius in person and maybe take you out to eat at Outback Steakhouse or Bonefish. You are DEFINITELY gonna be super famous soon, I AM SPEAKING THAT INTO EXSISTANCE YOU ARE GONNA BE *SUPER FAMOUS* VERY VERY SOON!
This is so good. I had to overcome a lot of this stuff when I published my first book of poetry last year. The only way I could make myself do it is to say, “This may suck but I’m finishing it come hell or high water.” And sure enough, it’s good! It isn’t perfect, but I’m proud of it and I refined my process while working on it. Now I’m working on many other projects without all the psychological distress practicing art used to bring me. You’re doing the lord’s work, CJ
The feeling in your chest and the need to release it is an apt description for creativity, thanks for the video! Obvs have much of it to watch left but hit nail on the head! 😊
I know it is unlikely you will ever come across this message, but that changes nothing of what it means. Thank you for being so explicit with your intentions and biases, and explaining abstract concepts in an engaging way that makes sense to me. I deeply admire your work, CJ, and would love it if you looked into non-violent communication, particularly the book by Marshall Rosenburg, as a source for philosophy, particularly regarding people's expression of themselves as a representation of their feelings and needs. I, personally, find the tools and the frameworks both you and this book provide extremely useful for understanding art, people, and the world around me (if there is a difference), and, for that, I am extremely grateful.
I love this, probably seen it like 5 times, makes me feel alive
As a filmmaker, you’re teaching me how to respect the process, respect art, respect my integrity and to let go of empty pride. So glad I found you in that cat video 😂
I hate that I am the unholy congolmeration of sins 1 and 2. In my personal defense, I HAVE released art though and been critically praised for it in my small circle. However, crippling mental health issues shattered my self-confidence to the point where I'm no longer sure I'm capable of creating anything worthwhile, hence the sins. This video simultaneously motiveated and demotivated me with warranted criticism and reopening of old scars. Annnnnd the ADHD isn't helping. Thanks, I hate and love it.
Changing art discussion reminded me of a time I went to a museum that had a number of Degas paintings and pastels. While on the tour someone commented on the display of some of the works in golden ornamental frames and the tour guide responded, "Yea, if Degas ever saw this he'd have come outraged wanting to rip them right off the walls. He was really particular about how his works be framed and if you removed or altered the original frame it would make him rather livid. Sometimes he would even make it a part of the sale that you couldn't change it and doing so would nullify the sale so he would legally be allowed to recover it back to its original state. Thank goodness he's dead and can't make a fuss!"
Coming from Super Eyepatch Wolf's Nathan Fielder video there seems to be a similar idea around 12:00 in this video about assessing the idea of "authenticity" when it comes to art, and I think it's because the definition of authenticity has transformed over the last 20 years or so. Something being "authentic" now is seen as something that is automatically of value or good just because is isn't mulled over, but I sincerely doubt most people would like it if script writers asked money for first drafts or songs came out with bad vocal takes kept in. The same thing happened with "Talent", when an artist is shown to be capable in their craft they aren't really seen as someone who has slaved months, years, or even decades to become good but someone "naturally gifted". It's ironic how unrealistic/unhealthy these skewed definitions are even though they're trying to give off the exact opposite
This video is everything. I don’t even know how to explain it, everytime i watch it i realise something new.
Hey, I just want to genuinely say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this video. This means a lot to me and how I will be moving forward with my art.