Why Shakespeare Couldn’t Care Less About His Legacy (And You Shouldn’t Either)
I think about legacy a fair amount. There’s a part of me that wants to create a lasting body of work. But the more I contemplate it, the more it seems personal legacy does not matter at all. You know who doesn’t care about his legacy? William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of all time. (Spoiler, he’s dead and incapable of caring about what’s going on or what we think of him.)
I was listening to comedian Neil Brennan’s podcast. He was talking with Questlove who wanted his work to be remembered after he died. Brennan responded with something to the effect of so even when you’re dead you won’t be satisfied?
Ouch, well when you put it like that, it is kind of a screwed up mindset. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, the outcome is the same, you won’t be here to enjoy it.
There has never been a time in history that comes remotely close to now in the amount of information that competes for our attention. Meaning it’s insanely hard to get people to notice and care about what we do now, let alone when we’re dead.
If, like me, you are creating something that is intended for an audience, do what you can to connect with them now. I’m not sure if books correlate with music but really popular singers and bands are lucky to be relevant for 10 years. The popular songs and albums from those artists are typically from that 10 year window. If they’re lucky, they can transition into a legacy artist and tour off their past accomplishments. And yes, they can continue to make new music for their hardcore fanbase but the general population sticks with the hits.
It’s called impermanence. People move on. Your art is not going to stay popular forever. I don’t point this out to be negative. It’s an opportunity to make the most of this moment. You’ll never get this time again. Your legacy is right now. Create the art you want to make now. Feel the experience you’re having right now. Love the people in your life that are with you now.
Favorite Thing I Drew This Month
JB declaring his true love, chocolate chip cookies. Another Panel from Woodland Hills. I colored this up just for you 🙂
Family Stuff
Sophia and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. She surprised me with a pottery class. I’ve wanted to try spinning clay probably since the first time I watched Ghost. Yeah, yeah, me and everyone else. Sophia made a cup. I made a mess. It was fun. I’d definitely do it again.
I missed Odesza when they played L.A. and was kind of bummed about it. So when they came to San Diego this past weekend, we made it a mini vacation. I went to the concert with my brother and his wife while Sophia watched the kids. We switched off when we’d go to the beach so Sophia could surf.
The concert was phenomenal. Lasers, fireworks, smoke, confetti, flamethrowers, choreographed drumline with light-up drums. And the music was pretty good too.
It was nice to get away with the family. We had breakfast at a tiny little Filipino restaurant. None of the typical American breakfast trappings. It was quite tasty. Glad we stumbled across it.
And finally, for anyone with kids around ages 3 – 10, The first Saturday of the month, Home Depot does a kids workshop. It’s completely free. The kids (or you) get to build and paint a little project. River and I started going earlier this year. It’s a fun way to spend some quality time together outside of the house. It’s this Saturday if you are interested.
Have a fantastic month!
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