Today, I came across this comic by Gav, whom I regard as one of our era’s creative artists. His methods are simplistic and to the point. His illustrations drive me towards a conclusion that makes me think, introspect about my life and choices.

This time, he features David Bowie, the late singer who departed in 2016, leaving behind hundreds of songs and, in them, his memories.

I have been surrounded by artists and been privy to some of their creative thinking methods in my lifetime.

Few confident artists can deliver the line in a style, Rhett Butler, from Gone with The Wind would have whistled in approval.

At the same time,

Many artists have succumbed to the ‘pressure’ after smelling the sweetness of ‘success.’ The pressure extended by others, who in a way are just being themselves or doing their job.

There is public, a gallery, who perceive, who decide, opine, and critic. We do not think about the handful of those who praise.

Why restrict to artists? It applies to all of us.

Let us dwell into some of the quotes that were recently featured in the comic:

“Never play to the Gallery.”

“Never work for other people at what you do.”

“Always remember that the reason you initially started working was that there was something inside yourself that you felt that if you could manifest it in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you coexist with the rest of the society.”

“I think it’s dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations. I think they produce their worst work when they do that.”

“Go a little bit out of your depth.”

These lines strike a chord with some of the unusual career choices (going by my peers).

My path drifted a great deal from the norm (again, my peers being the yardstick) with creating a blog ten years ago. I wrote, despite my lack of skills as a writer.

From what I understood, ‘First, there are rules, then there is a room for amendments.’

We are humans; we cannot live by the commandments as we strive for better lives, evolve into something different from our previous generations.

That’s the order – we can get in and create something extraordinary or hold on to some of the antiquated rules sans adaptation.

Late 2006, I remember, my brother talked about ‘venting my feelings’ through a blog. I had a diary, a blog that opened a world previously not seen.

Looking back, I might not yet have a best-seller or a regular column in a top newspaper, nor am I a celebrity blogger.

Instead, I have gotten to know myself better and that, trust me, is a reward.