I, The People Person
In Latin the phrase memento mori means “remember, you must die”.
There are a lot of popular culture references to it now, and you have probably seen an emblem of it somewhere.
What it boils down to is that no one is going to wait for you to get around to doing something. It’s up to you to get it done, and you don’t know how much time you’ll be granted to accomplish it.
Appreciate your audience.
Don’t rely on them.
You, as the creative, must be self-entertained.
If you create for acclaim, you will never know gratification.
It has to matter to you.
Saint Marinus was a stonemason from what is now an island off of Croatia.
He lived as a hermit and built a monastery on top of Monte Titano. The legends surrounding why he did it remain, but the fact that he did it can be seen by witnessing the festival each September 3, commemorating the day in 301 that San Marino was founded.
What Marinus struggled with, and what he built, became the foundation for San Marino…or rather, as it is known colloquially, The Tiny Republic.
He was not assigned to building, he was not indebted to the labor itself. Marino felt moved to do so and was compelled only by his own will to follow through.
The Tiny Republic began as a population of 1. He built it for him, and shared it with others so that it could continue to be shared.
What he created was art as much as it was sanctuary. It became a haven of freedom.
That it still exists today is a testament to what can be accomplished if you set out… and finish.