I rarely look to tell another human how to live their life. While there have been instances where I felt that if I had not stepped in, I would have lost a friend to addiction or depression. However, I digress, that’s neither here nor there.

A matter in present day society that really concerns me is how much creatives complain. Complaining in general concerns me. I could assume that it is part of the developing mind. Maybe it's because I keep younger company although I'm 34 years of age. Whatever the issue, where I stand right now, I’m rather free of complaint. If a human wants to leave my life. Humans change, they should be allowed. Same goes for lovers, associates, jobs, colleagues.

A common question I’m asked about my evolving career from street performer to international projects of the “good works” is “how did you get all of this work, Resse?” and the short answer is, “I worked”.

Check my Instagram or Facebook (Tyresse Bracy) archives I have been doing the same thing for decades now. Before social media, I trained myself in dance in my bedroom. It was by fluke that I found myself dancing on the streets of Dublin, Ireland one rainy day with a violinist named David Loudin (I hope he’s doing brilliant because he opened my eyes to a world of possibilities).

So....Basquiat.

One of the quotes I remember most from reading the auto-biography of Basquiat was what he said to a lover. Basquiat, uncaring of his predicament before becoming a world-renowned neo-expressionist painter. Lived on the streets and sold book marks that he had marked up with his tag “SAMO” and other eccentric illustrations. In the company of his lover, he says “see you’re lucky. you have a proper career. If one job fires you, can put in a resume’ and be hired at another firm of you choosing. For me, if art doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out and maybe I die. It’s all I got” (or something to this affect).

Turns out, I was living this way 10 years prior to knowing anything about the guy. So, my misunderstanding with creatives that are so anti-capitalist in mind setting is, if this is indeed the case.

Why not do your art on the street?

Why not take the power out of the hands of huge corporations and work for yourself?

Why not use the free tools like Facebook & Instagram to promote your work and be totally free and independent of this system you have such distaste for?

I can’t tell you about your inner workings but I subscribe to the idea that most artist don’t hate capitalism like they say they do. Most artist fear learning business.

You don’t want to choose between the rave and your work.

You don’t wish to learn to network.

You don’t want to be told “no”.

This is rather saddening, considering all you have given up to be you. Now you’re ¼ way into the race and you can’t sit your brilliant ass down and learn how the art world actually works so you can stop struggling.

Most think manifestation is simply about thinking a good thought and that good thought materializes into our lives. This is only partially true. As the universe balances the energy we put out, it also works on frequency. How frequent we put ourselves out there, how frequent we ask for gigs, how frequent we compose and let go of our work to the world.

Not holding ourselves captive to our own brilliance.

Basquiat lived on those streets hella long. Working his way through the artsy districts of N.Y. selling bookmarks, until the day he stumbled upon Warhol. Another manifestation of Basquiat, as he always knew if he could get his foot in the door with Warhol and his art “factory”, it was off to the races.

Before Basquiat knew it, he was locked in “The Factory” doing heroin, cocaine and a balance of weed. He was a mad man, pumping out painting after painting, creating his own stretchers from scratch and selling them just as quickly as he created. He would send a painting upstairs and then 50k in cash would come down stairs to his pocket.

Over and over again.

He was now in the game.

Ha! Most think that drugs killed Basquiat and surely, they knocked his lights out but I do believe that it wasn’t that simple. It was the stress of him finding out he was selling his works for millions on the art market but receiving not even a fraction of compensation.

Basquiat didn’t wish to learn the business.

He didn’t want to learn about equity.

He didn’t want to sign contracts.

He just wanted to create.

It’s just not enough to just create, if you wish to have longevity in this the creative world. These companies can and will fuck you and throw you into the gutters if you let them. At this very moment in time, artists are in a unique time period in history. Where we have the tools, FREE tools to dismantle a world that uses our works as real-estate, instead of art. Yet, how would you know this if you never study. If you never open yourself up to how the world actually works.

It’s your world, you should know how it operates even if it pisses you off.  Especially if it pisses you off. You can’t fight an oppressive system if you don’t understand the dynamics of oppression.

In closing, the answer to my question “Is Art A Labor of Love or A Suitable Career Choice?” in short......

BOTH.

Art will always be a labor of love. This is the grandeur of creation, we do it because we love it. Far before payment. It can also be a suitable career choice if you choose to learn the game.

*Hands To Heart*

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LONG LIVE SAMO Love You Like I Knew You — LONG LIVE SAMO
Love You Like I Knew You