C7 FAMILY
2/14-15/26
#5 - UNITY
SOMETHING I’VE FELT RECENTLY THAT I BELIEVE HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON MY LIFE IS THE SEPARATION BETWEEN MY MIND AND MY BODY. I FEEL THAT THERE IS AN INEVITABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO, GIVEN THEY ARE BOTH A PART OF ME AND WILL BE A PART OF ME UNTIL I DIE. REFLECTING ON THIS, I’VE REALIZED THAT THEY DO NOT WORK IN HARMONY IN MY CURRENT PATH OF LIFE. I FIND MYSELF MAKING A LOT OF DECISIONS BASED ON THE GUILTY PLEASURE OF ONE OF THEM, RESULTING IN DISREGARD FOR THE OTHER. IF I CAN DISCUSS WITH EACH OF THEM BEFORE MAKING A DECISION, I CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BEST POSSIBLE DECISION TO MAKE WOULD BE. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE, SINCE YOU HAVE TO BE MAKING THE CONSCIOUS DECISION TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION WITH YOURSELF, BUT EVENTUALLY IT WILL BECOME AUTOMATIC AS YOU REACH THE STATE THAT I HAVE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT RECENTLY: UNITY.
THERE ARE SELECT TIMES THAT I FEEL LIKE I TRULY ACCESS THIS STATE, AND I THINK IT CAN BE EQUATED TO THE FLOW STATE AS WELL. WHEN EVERY DECISION THAT I’M MAKING FEELS SO RIGHT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MADE VERY QUICKLY AND ALMOST INSTINCTUALLY. USUALLY I’M ABLE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN WHEN I’M WORKING ON A PROJECT, OR IF I’VE CREATED A LIST OF TASKS I NEED TO COMPLETE AND I GET THAT BURST OF MOTIVATION TO FINISH IT. THE DAYS THAT I’M ABLE TO NOT LET MY VICES DISTRACT ME TO THE POINT OF COMPLETELY NULLING EITHER MY MIND OR MY BODY, ACCESSING THIS STATE OF MIND ISN’T IMPOSSIBLE, HOWEVER THE FIRST PART USUALLY ENDS UP BEING MY ROAD BLOCK. I KNOW OTHERS CAN RELATE TO THIS, SO WHATEVER THE ROADBLOCK IN YOUR LIFE IS THAT IS KEEPING YOU FROM BECOMING THE VERSION OF YOURSELF THAT YOU WANT TO BECOME, JUST KNOW THAT NOTHING IS PROMISED EXCEPT DEATH AND NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO. IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHAT IS POSSIBLE AND NOT POSSIBLE, AND I PROMISE YOU YOU HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THE DEFINITION OF BOTH.
IF YOU OPEN YOUR MIND TO A BROADER DEFINITION OF WHAT SOMETHING IS OR CAN BE, YOU CAN FIND WAYS TO MOLD YOUR PERSPECTIVE TO THE POINT THAT NOTHING SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. IT IS EASY TO POKE HOLES IN THE “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE” ARGUMENT WHEN YOU DO NOT BASE THE IMPOSSIBILITY IN REALITY. IF YOU USE A GENERAL FILTER OF REALITY BEFORE CONCEPTUALIZING AN IDEA TO DECIDE IF ITS POSSIBLE OR NOT, YOU ARE ALLOWING YOURSELF TO SEE INTO THE SPACE OF CREATIVITY YOU INHABIT. THIS NON PHYSICAL SPACE THAT EXISTS WITHIN EACH OF US THAT BECOMES EXPRESSED EVERYTIME YOU CREATE FROM YOUR HEART. IF YOU ARE MAKING SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE PURPOSE OF LOVE AND EXPRESSION, IT IS NOT AN AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OF YOU AND YOUR INNER CREATIVE SPACE. NOT THAT IT HAS NO VALUE, SINCE MANY TIMES THESE INTERPRETATIONS BRING THE MOST FINANCIAL VALUE, HOWEVER IT’S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE INDIVIDUAL THAT CREATED THEM WILL TREASURE THAT CREATION IN THEIR FUTURE. IT MAY BE SEEN AS A STEPPING STONE TO GET TOWARDS THEIR FUTURE, WHICH I THINK IS COMPLETELY VALID. FOR MY PERSONAL BODY OF WORK, I AM INFATUATED WITH THE IDEA OF SELF EXPRESSION AND PERSONAL DISCOVERY, AND I WANT MY CAREER TO BE A DOCUMENTATION OF THAT GROWTH. BY DOCUMENTING MY JOURNEY IN THIS WAY, I TRULY BELIEVE I’LL BE ABLE TO GIVE THE READER A PERSONAL AND FAMILIAL PERSPECTIVE ON MYSELF. HAVING THIS LEVEL OF DEPTH WITH OTHERS BRINGS ME COMFORT, SINCE I KNOW THAT IF YOU ACTUALLY FUCK WITH ME, IT’S ACTUALLY FOR ME AND NOT FOR THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ME. I’M SLOWLY FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH INSTAGRAM, EVEN THOUGH IT IS WHERE A LOT OF MY ART LIVES, AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY TO NOT THINK ABOUT IT, THE INTERACTVITY SIDE OF IT FUCKS ME UP. IT’S NOT THAT IF I DON’T HIT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF LIKES I’M NOT HAPPY WITH A POST, BUT MORE THE SATISFACTION I GET FROM VALIDATION CAUSES ME TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH STAGNATION. MY PRODUCTIVITY LEVEL PLUMETS BECAUSE I’M STILL RIDING OUT THE HIGH OF RECEIVING SUPPORT FOR SOMETHING I POSTED. I TOLD A FRIEND A WHILE AGO THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SHIFT MY EXPRESSION OF MY PROGRESS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO A FORMAT LIKE THIS, TRULY REMOVING THE VALIDATION ASPECT OF IT. I SEE EVERY WEEK I DO THIS AS A STEP IN THAT DIRECTION, AND I ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS. I TOOK SOME PICTURES OF MY FAVORITE PIECES THE OTHER DAY FOR AN ASSIGNMENT SO I THOUGHT I’D SHARE THEM HERE AS WELL.
IN THE FIRST PICTURE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE SWEATERS I’VE MADE, FOLLOWED BY THE HYBRID FLANNELS AND FINALLY SOME TEES. THE THING I LOVE ABOUT THESE PIECES IS HOW SIMPLE THEY ARE AND HOW WELL THEY EXPRESS MY TASTE. MY ABILITY TO DEPICT MY OWN TASTE AND INTERESTS WILL IMPROVE WITH EVERY PIECE I MAKE, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU.
-CAMERON CAMPBELL CRAIG