HEY HEY KIDS!
Yeah, I said it Krusty the Clown–style. It’s Monday Motivation time, and you know what that means: caffeinate your soul, slap yourself awake with a paintbrush, and prepare to scream into the void—in the most beautiful, artful way possible.
This week on FWACATA, we’re talking total artistic freedom. That holy grail where there are no rules, no deadlines, no clients, no critics—just you, your tools, and that screaming void begging you to make something weird, raw, honest, maybe even kind of ugly... and therefore brilliant.
But here’s the trap: freedom is scary. Like, pants-half-unzipped-at-the-buffet scary. Blank canvases don’t come with instructions. No guardrails. No gold stars. And when you strip away all the outer noise, what comes up? Imposter syndrome. Fear. Doubt. That voice that whispers: “You? Really? You think you’re good enough?”
I once painted a mural in Hialeah Gardens with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—up 12 feet on a ladder, baking in the Florida sun. My stomach turned. My hands shook. Not because I was tired. Because I didn’t think I deserved to be there. I laughed to myself mid-brushstroke and said, “Oh… this is imposter syndrome.” And I kept painting.
Because that’s the secret: doing it anyway.
You don’t need permission. You don’t need perfection. You need to ask, “Is this ME?”—not, “Is this good?” And that’s the golden ticket. That’s where the real art lives.
Even if nobody sees it. Especially if nobody sees it.
But hey—share it anyway. That weird little epoxy Max figure you sculpted? That strange sketch? That strange thought that bloomed into a poem? That might be the one thing that makes another artist out there—maybe in Akron, maybe in Argentina—feel less alone. That’s enough.
Artistic freedom means failing isn’t failing. It’s just research. It’s the data you collect before making something even more you.
So this week, make something messy. Make something dumb. Make something pure. Rip the caution tape off your brain and let it dance naked in the street. Be the beautiful chaos you were born to be.
And as always—be good.
