Manifesto-Emily Brown

An Unfinished Manifesto in 17 Points

1. Being an artist means you have to make art. Make art consistently and you'll be an artist, even if you don't feel like one quite yet. It doesn't have to be good, but it definitely has to happen.
2. Interrogate everything. Nothing is certain, and there is room for every discipline, every school of thought, every creative process. But you should know what you actually subscribe to, and why.
3. Jump with both feet. Done is better than perfect and people respect a wholehearted failure far more than a timid, half-assed success.
4. Homeostasis =/= Stagnation. The romanticization of the starving nomadic artist is bullshit. Jack Kerouac was a hack, and passion doesn't always pay the bills. It's okay to get comfortable, get some sleep and make a life. 
5. Create as much as you consume. Support your fellow artists, and make the art you wish to see. Art can be your number one priority, but it can't be your only priority. You have to study, eat, travel, watch movies, play games, call your grandma, and live to make art worth making.
6. Pretension is for assholes. Life is too short to pretend. Love what you love, even if it's Billboard Top 100 hits and plastic flamingos.
7. Find what gives you goosebumps. Focus your attention where you feel fulfilled or be prepared to be overwhelmingly underwhelmed. 
8. Hyperfocus. The devil is in the details, but that's where salvation is too. 
9. Don't waste and don't wait. Procrastination is the antithesis of growth. Do what makes you excited now, and do it now. Inspiration is a flighty mistress, so jump on her when you can, but don't wait for her. 
10. Show up and don't look away. Good art happens outside of your comfort zone, so find where you feel small and take up space. Go to museums and figure out the whys of you. Anxiety and dissonance can be uncomfortable, but they aren't dangerous. 
11. Kill your darlings. Getting attached can make otherwise good art cliche. sometimes you have to keep personal shit personal.
12. The grass isn't greener. It's hard to make it in the art world. But it's hard to make it anywhere, so dream bigger and fight to live the life you actually want. 
13. Resist the urge to feel ashamed. It's a trap set to make you believe you aren't worthy of the space you take up, the message you have to share and the work you have done. Fuck that.
14. Experiment. Nothing is worse than being beholden to past success. Keep going, keep growing.
15. There is room for you. The degree of separation between an expert and a novice is smaller than you think. 
16. Nothing matters unless you decide it does.
17. Nobody cares unless you make them.