AMBIGUITY IS YOUR FRIEND.
Prep School Style with Grit. Stay out of someone’s stereotype box by confusing them with style.
Though it may seem counter intuitive to remove our heart from our sleeve, in the modern world of today ambiguity is your best friend. We have an endless array of machines and robots scanning our phones, images and posts on social media with sole intent of learning about you. Who are you? Where do you stand politically? How can your stance on society make it easier to sell you ideas, products, and votes.
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There is real power in remaining unseen. That power allows us to move in and out of people’s micro cultures. When people or machines do not know who we are by the way we look, talk, or act, it makes their data about us useless. The data from machines, or preconceived notions from people are the same. We collect data ourselves about the people around us. That data we collect we use to determine whether or not somebody is safe, like-able, friendly, mean, a threat.
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Our style is likely the first tool people use to collect data about us. If we wear a cowboy hat, people assume that we like guns. If we wear a beanie at a coffee shop, people assume that we are protesting inequality. What happens to someone’s stereotypes if we wear a white silk suit with a camouflage baseball hat?
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I can tell you. People have no idea which box to put you into. If you want to move freely in our society, you cannot live in a box. The box can restrict your motion, and in return restrict your freedom to exist everywhere.
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The truth of the matter is we all have friends and family on all sides of the political, idealogical, belief and race spectrums. We’re all actually a part of the same team. The idea that we are different from one another is invented by those hoping to leverage our differences for their own benifit. Fight back first by keeping yourself out of a box. Lets put our money into our beliefs. Let’s allow that to be our business alone.
Unabated Travel in a Sea of STUFF.
It all begins with an idea.
Before we ask ourselves “what we can add to our lives for more happiness?'“ We should ask “What can we leave behind to create more happiness?”
Keep ourselves light. Mobility and efficiency are key to feeling free. Would you rather be a Knight in shining armor, or a Ninja in the night? More often than not, we’re subjected the ‘more is more’ mindset ingrained in our systems. It’s a lie. It should be stated, “More is more weight to carry.” Resourcefulness is the majesty of time. Build a fortress of the mind with the mud under our shoes if we have to. We live in resources abundant.
Should we find ourselves down and out, we should be resourceful enough to find our way to up and at’em! Atom, Adam At’em!
We’re living in a sea of STUFF. I give STUFF all capitals because it is massively present in our lives. It’s like a warrior guarding the bank of our time and energy. If buying a ring is buying more stuff for you, please buy someone else’s rings.
Instead, let these pieces be a symbol of your freedom. Let the lightness shine through in the weight of our day. Ride the lightness like an easy read. Red is the sky at dusk and dawn, so enjoy it. We’re here for a blink of the eye of a storm called Super Nova. Let’s travel unabated! The world is our vessel.
Blatant Disregard of Pride.
It all begins with an idea.
What have we achieved for ourselves today? In many people’s eyes I have been someone to admire for my stamina in the jewelry design arena. I have taken a licking and kept on ticking(with help of course). I am often asked by my partner if I “am proud.” of making a big sale. Or “proud” of making an amazing piece?
The answer is: Never.
Pride is the end of the journey. It’s the end of the movie! It’s a moment in time and then it’s gone. I always ask her to ask me on my death bed. Maybe in that moment I will cave. SURE WHY NOT?!
Pride is in worked into our society like a sugar. It tastes so sweet yet gives us nothing in return but a crash. Pride is an oppression. It can taint the mind while our competition is continuing their work. THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE. Celebrate a great victory, not something we been handed for free.
Instead let us stay humble. In the light of a great victory, let us smile and keep our nose in the work. Let others celebrate our victory. When others celebrate our victory, IT MUST BE TRULY MAGNIFICENT. A true achievement.
What are you looking to build? I can tell you now, keep your pride out of it and it will grow into a magnificent palace. People will celebrate you, so you do not have to.
Take a step in the direction of something you want to build. A business, art, science, religion, a home, a spaceship! Whatever that is, remember that it takes one brick at a time to build a castle. You will never have a castle without laying that first brick. Do it for others and the bricks will practically lay themselves.
Revel in the Nature of Change.
It all begins with an idea.
The green of the gods. The color of peace and serenity. It’s free. Not too oddly enough it is color of currency here in the US. Though it true that money cannot grant the happiness we seek, it can provide opportunity to make a self level up. There’s a peace in leveling up our souls. Let’s not discount that.
In my little family of a 7 year old, 5, 2, a wife, dog, 11 ducks and myself, we give thanks to the money. “Arigato The Money”. Being of the creative ilk, we often have none. In those times we can be stressed, sometimes we are at peace with it. I’ll tell you that when we find a moment of happiness in the stressful time of scrounging up a mortgage payment, it is truly a gem.
Though it is tough. We’re not built for happiness ever long. Happy ever after is lie. Without the tough times we have nothing to break through, or nothing to break free of.
Little demons attach themselves and we often invite them. They’ll ride our backs until we decide that we are too tired of carrying their weight. Demons come in all forms. One of mine is anger. His name is probably Anger and he eats my energy like a a kid in a candy store.
He comes around when the bills are coming out like a geyser and the money stuck is in the purgatory of chance.
But, there is hope. WE CAN TURN HIM INTO A SLAVE! Instead we can choose to build! We can crack the whip on anger! Even if we have nothing to build with, we can seek a small challenge to overcome. Walk barefoot in the snow, take a cold shower, relinquish old objects that do not serve us, call an old friend, make a new friend, play with our kids, be an inspiration for others to follow. TURN OFF THE NEWS.
Challenges are all around us and a small victory can reset the entire course of our lives. We’re all capable no matter what we look like, feel like, want to be like. Bravery is the first step so step forward.
DON’T PUSH BACK, PUSH FORWARD.