Personal Manifesto - Ryan Simmons

Be Genuine- Don’t pretend to be something that you are not.

Dive Deeper- Being superficial is the last thing you want. Explore the surface but dive much deeper.

Imitate- Discover the things and people who inspire you, and then imitate their patterns, actions, or work.

Ask Questions- If you want to know something, just ask.

Take the Wheel- Be the reason for doing your projects, if it’s an assignment, make it your own.

Investigate- The only way to know/see/create things others haven’t is to go where they

haven’t.

Paint on the blank canvas- Inspiration comes and goes, motivation is always your decision.

Watch Others- Learn from other people’s success, learn from their failure.

Be Involved- Know what is happening out in the world, then work with others to achieve similar goals.

Avoid Judgement- Your opinions will probably change so be careful what you think and say, it may come back to bite you.

Document everything- Even if you hate it, document it. At very least you will be able to compare progress.

Don’t give up- Be persistent and try try again.

Listen- Recognize when you need to stop and just listen, these moments happen regularly.

Everyone has wisdom-  Wisdom can come from anyone or anywhere, when it comes learn from it.

Immerse yourself- Surround yourself with art, music, people, films, food, and literature that you like, let them bleed together.

You are responsible for your own education- School is only a catalyst for learning, constantly be learning new things and exploring new avenues.

All knowledge is good knowledge- Everything you learn is for your benefit.

NEVER FLATLINE!- This is death.

Stand on other’s shoulders- In the words of Bruce Mau “You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better”.

Refresh- Stop and refresh, the reboot can clear up a lot of glitches.

Stop comparing yourself to others- It doesn’t help anyone so stop it.

Detach- Don’t let technology or others control your art.

Expose yourself- It can be scary but the more things you expose yourself the more experience you will have.

Stay passionate-  It’s about the journey not the product, so follow the paths that lead to the best journey.

It will get easier after….- There’s always another thing to do so quit lying to yourself.

Invest- Everyone and everything around you is a resource, learn how to use your resources and how to invest in them most affectively.

Have faith in yourself-. Recognize your success and failure, but most importantly recognize your growth. It’s easy to see your faults but it’s necessary to see your potential.