Wednesday 6th April, 2022
Courage is born from strength & this is my year of ‘deep strength’.
Whirlwind weeks come & go. Revelations & revolutions are daily under the skin of an artist. Exposed to so much, open to more, we are philosophical pinballs. As I have many times before, & in direct contradiction to those times before, I have reached a new conclusion in my approach to life. It would seem that I am lacking selfishness. I’ll explain…
Last week an artist friend of mine arrived in Dublin, & directly into my life. She brought with her: new ideas, perspectives, & energy. One of these ideas is that of the inner child, inner parent, & inner adult. I know nothing about psychology… but this resonated with me instantly. My obsession with Kermit the Frog, ir even Ice King from Adventure Time is an expression of my inner parent. For the past decade I have conflated my ‘adult’ with my ‘parent’.
As this new seperation crystalises in my mind, my actions, projects, motivations, & philosophies need some reframing. If I am to develop my inner adult, what will that mean for my artistic path? For now, this means stepping back as a mentor for lots of people. I’ll still cultivate the talent I believe in & foster those connections into genuine friendships, but ‘Nathan Mac’ has been gradually falling out of my calendar. Going forward, I’m coming first. I’ll change the world through my work, not by supporting the work of others. (for now at least)
With this blog, I’m to return to the original concept. To document my artistic journey, h offer what I’ve learned to those in need. Through this blog, I can still support those around me… just in a less personal & more efficient way.
So what’s the learning here? Looking back over what I’ve just written, how I’ve been, & what I’m to become… let’s talk about the buzzword: CONSISTENCY.
If, like me, you’re looking out for advice on being an artist…. or building a brand… or a fanbase… a social media profile… (the list goes on). If you’re out in that part of the internet, you’ll be confronted by this one, diminishingly meaningless word: consistency. In a world that changes everyday, with a body, mind, & soul that never sits still, how can you possibly stay ‘consistent’ with anything? It’s not easy… it can be frustrating… but it’s possible. One thing you need to keep in mind is that you don’t need to be the same person forever, just for now. If you can get yourself into the project, or chapter mindset, then you only need be consistent with what you’re doing, until it’s finished.
I’m currently releasing my debut album: ‘Start of Something Blue’. For the past 2 & a half years I’ve maintained a similar image, similar sound, similar attitude, similar ‘vibe’. At least, publicly. (not including here… with you I’ll always be an open mess.) Once this album is finished, & the live touring of it begins, I’ll begin formulating the next chapter of ‘Nathan Mac’. I’ve already got a dozen ideas to run with… but for now, they will remain ideas. At the end of the day, all I do, I do for the work. To serve the work, it needs me to follow through, to be clear in my message, h maintain it over time… (regardless of repetition fatigue).
One final note on consistency is that you might not need to worry about it, for now. At the very beginning, you might need to devote an entire chapter to discovery & experimentation. Try a bunch of colours, fonts, sounds, attitudes, ideas… take time to look inwards, & accentuate the parts of you that make sense with what you want to make. Ask your friends, your family, your peers, what they think. Just don’t ask me… I’m being selfish, remember?
Consistency seems intangible & restrictive until you understand the chapter mindset. Moodboards, mission statements, backbone philosophies are all foundations to work from. Do feel free to reach out & let me know if you want to know more about the chapter mindset… cause I can devote an entire Wednesday post to that.
For now, it’s time to leave you & focus on making the world a better place through my skills & talents… fashioning a future with my own two hands.
See you next week,
Nathan
