Old Conversation with DJ Brace

It is very rare that I save chat conversations with people, but it was one of those talks that I knew would resonate with me months after, perhaps even years after we exchanged words in real time. So I copied and pasted it into my notepad and put it aside. I came across it again today, and sure enough. It resonates..

Mike
yo

8:07pmMe
yoyo

8:07pmMike
ca va?

8:07pmMe
bien!

you?

8:08pmMike
ccool

yeah real good

whats new?

8:09pmMe
I had an artshow! and i saw shad and epmd last night and im eating rice and corn and Ive been doing freelance art and have been getting by

and with you?

8:09pmMike
same as it ever was, just a step further

love life

every second

8:09pmMe
goooood!

the way it should be

I want to come back for another visit this year, if not montreal i want to see europe, or just lab out here

8:10pmMike
how was the show?

8:10pmMe
the show was great

mmm made just a little above 3 grand on the opening night

8:11pmMike
nicd

congrants

8:11pmMe
inspired people which is great to hear

8:11pmMike
wooooo

good work

8:11pmMe
feels good, it reassures me that this is what I would like to keep doing

thanks, whats the next big project you got in the works?

8:11pmMike
word now you know the key

never stop.

just released a new record this week, a 45

and almost done my next solo

which comes out this summer

and a shit ton more

but thats a good update

8:14pm Me
! a 45! who does that nowadays? that's awesome

8:13pmMike
http://fatbeats.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=9384

i think im the first winnipegger to get distro from fat beats

to me thats like landing on the moon

8:15pmMe
you make history


this is dope. never stop I need to tatoo that on my forehead

8:15pmMike
i make rain, history makes itself

haha

jokes

nah

just remember

everything else is 2nd

8:16pmMe
mmm how you mean?

8:16pmMike
sounds mean, but its the only way to live for me

8:16pmMe
ahhh

8:16pmMike
music is my obligation to myself

in a passionate way

its like breathing if you dont stop

and then you become prolific

but everything else is second, so you risk relationships, bad health etc

its a sacrifice

mmm hot and sour soup

8:19pmMe
im beginning to learn about this through experience, im in between right now, but curious to know what it will be like to hit an extreme

8:19pmMike
that means its time

think of it nothing more than an acid trip

or a meditation

block out everything and see what you do sans outside inspiration

8:20pmMe
I think i may run into problems trying to function in the so called 'real world'

8:20pmMike
dont think

do

you cant predict

just go with your feelings

and dont analyze

...for a while

thats when you find out some cool shit about you and your art

i cut myself off from the scene in wpg after i got disenchanted with it

and it was hard

i was of null identity

but all the while i worked hard

and i crossed through something i dont think i would of if i stayed close to the wpg hip hop scene

8:22pmMe
mmm yes I have recognized it here

so much scutiny for wanting to color outside the box

8:23pmMike
and i just got a fortune cookie that said 'sunny times are ahead', bonus!

haha

ya i block them out

soul stealers

energy obstructors

8:24pmMe
amen.

8:24pmMike
just ate a bunch of vegy hot and sour soup and some vegie rolles

feel 1000% better

sometimes i work for hours no food and dont realize how hurtin i am

haha

8:25pmMe
good take care of your health, it will help you create more

I should listen to my own advice

and then I should stop shoudlin on myelf

8:25pmMike
i know

ya

its just

i go through phases

take care of self, then mad scientist

then repeat

8:26pmMe
yeaaa!

8:25pmMike
dont analyze

just be in it

right this moment

cause thats future thinking

dont do that

think now

youre not what you were

so the second you second guess yourself, your just giving yourself the new program

dont feel bad just accept your wants in the moment and go on

haha im zen

8:26pmMe
write a book

8:26pmMike
ever since i moved here ive been more in to the zen thing

nah, im more community friends family

i share through my music

my close ones i share my thoughts

its for you and so on

8:27pmMe
el nereo is honoured

8:27pmMike
welnereo

haha

word

man so amped now

gonna smoke a hash joint

and then rip in to this music

8:28pmMe
im going to go splash paint around the studio

thank you

8:28pmMike
expect a twice doper solo album soon

its called synesthasia

shit shoulda got you to do some art, next album

talk soon mighty one

peace

a la prochaine

8:29pmMe
paix!

8:31pmMike is offline

Salt peanuts! Salt peanuts!

Sacrifice?

"If you put all your time and all your efforts to become a master, in an art like chess you sacrifice, but the question is what is it that you sacrifice, and the next question is of course "Is it worth it?"



...if it brings you joy....yes It's definitely worth it

if you can maintain sanity, if you can fend for yourself, put food on the table, pay bills, pay loans, pay for a bus pass, and still do what you love to do, then yes.

But what if we do decide that we want more out of it. We want to see ourselves excel faster, and beleving that in order to do so, we must concentrate ourselves, by situating ourselves only around things that are relative to our goal.

If i'm not mistaken, we all have (more or less) 24 hours in a day no? Okay Let's say you take two people, both who share a passion for say..Illustration..or drawing! Let's say Both find joy in drawing, and let's say both of them see hope in trying to make a living with this passion of theirs. But let's say both go about their owns ways in their attempt to reach their higher levels of skills. Both are bound to duties, both must work within a system. What if one decides to say forget working with the system, forget those other duties, I don't want to follow the same schedule that everyone else has, I want to create my own. I just want to draw.I want to put all my energy into developing this skill for drawing, while the other person moves at a snails pace, balancing their day with a 9-5 job to consistentlty pay the bills, eat healthy, not be stressed so much about how to get from point a to point b because they have money for the bus.

If you were to give both of these people a test to see who would achieve a greater skill within say 10 years who do you think would be more skillful in drawing? Who would you hire if you wanted to give them a job? What if I were to say that the one who spent all their time developing their skills in drawing, was lacking in another area..let's say he or she forgot how to socialize well with people, didn't know how to take care of himself or herself, was a little sick in the head because he or she had very little people to talk to other than himself or herself and his or her pencils and pens, and let's say he or she was applauded, encouraged and praised by people who found his or her crazy persona entertaining.

It goes back to the saying about the eggs and the baskets. Don't put it all in one basket, because in case one eggshell cracks, you still have a more than a half of a carton left to boil and fry for the whole family.

I'm sure it brought Bobby joy, but more so as a child. I believe what they were trying to say is that When you reach pinnacle success,the level of 'worlds best' theres no where else to go but down, unless of course you know how to maintain yourself in that position, but it definitely gets more difficult with age. We all have the same human capacity unless we have some kind of brain redardation do we not? If we are passionate about a skill, should we not aim as high as we possibly can? Historically the people who I have seen as great, were often deemed as insane by many people. However the grass is always greener on the other side as they say, perhaps it's not worth living outside of the world for? Perhaps marjolaine summed it up..If it brings you no joy, it's not worth pursuing?

there are some days I want to pat myself on the wings and say thanks for feeding my soul, thanks for helping me find this brush, this pen, this paper, this brilliant idea, thanks for this beautiful creation that I can share with the world...and then... there are those days when I say, you still haven't figured out how to pay this months rent? and what will you do about the dentist,freelance art doesn't come with benefits, or E.I, and what about next months bus pass, you still have to pay off your student loans, and you barely have time to help your mother out because you aint making enough, because your out to trying to rule the world with your art.but you're no where near that level, and the only way to do it is to do it more, and more, and more! at what expense are you willing to excel in your field(s) of art? art art art thats all you do, thats all you think about, thanks all you care about..Its taking over your life.. cut your hair, you have a job interview with wal mart this friday. Say Cheese, you could be the next wal mart portrait photographer.

The question is what is it that we sacrifice? and the next question is Is it worth it?

Right now getting a nine to five job seems more like a sacrifice then losing one. Atleast that's how I saw it before? (when I had one) Ha!

Too much time in one space will drive a person crazy.

Air is good. Friends are great. Health is number one! Balance is good, but Balance is boring.

I don't know where I'm going with this anymore but one thing is certain. I need sleep.

..But I mustn't.

Free university class is in three hours. Don't be late there partner.

This week in Winnipeg the Bodies Exhibition will be on display at 311 portage avenue, the location of the old a&b sound. Is it true that these bodies were donated from a chinese prison?

BODIES

"Kissing burns 26 calories a minute."

The Art of Learning

Truce

Curator Job?

Fugees Super 8

Looking for super 8 film

Monae Monae Monae

fri.sept.17 7-9:30 p.m.
sat.sept.18 10:30 a.m.-1:00p.m., 2:00-5:00p.m.
uofw meditation

TRY CYCLE

J'ai besoin d'un tricycle pour aujourd'hui! réponse rapidement s'il vous plaît et merci

L I S T E N

so good

S T R A N G E

w a t e r

water can crash, or water can flow. be like water

Restoration

There was a time when our talents
were sought after by emperors and kings
who brought us into their palaces
to paint dance and sing
Worshiped like Gods
for the gifts we possessed
seated amongst the elite
treated with the utmost respect
Now fast forward to 2010
where most of those who choose to
paint dance and sing for a living
can barely pay rent
Times have changed
the game is cuthroat
we're seen as the lowest of lows
our lifestyles considered a joke?
if you ask us
the value of an artist is going bankrupt
wounded from the tax cuts
forced to reconsider the bitter back up plan
tougher is the task at hand
we are moving longer passed the days
of living solely off of grants
success rests in the bank
of those who are most wealthy
It's a difficult dream to chase indeed
but see you don't gotta tell we!
I know this life of an artist is hard
but struggling is all part of the job
going up against tremendous odds
in a system mostly ruled by laws
where shooting for the stars
means being far from what's conventional
embarking on this mysterious journey
hell, we'll never know
if the path we chose will work out
before doubt forces us to fold
oh so difficult
its tempting to let go
when life moves so slow
and you've got no dough.
oh believe me I know
this is not your typical profession
it is depressing to think that the pathway to success
is littered with rejection
hence the stress that infects my heart when
the studio where I paint my blood with
feels more like a coffin
wrongly perceived like the Basquiats and Pollocks
when most public eyes only seems to see the final product
A gift and a curse it hurts to go through the process
of answering gods spiritual calling
especially in a time when
we're being charged dollars per minutes
tapping into a higher consciousness
just doesn't seem realistic
it all comes down to business
and what you're willing to risk
Whose ready to put their chips down on the drawing board
and become a prisonor of debt?
some say we're crazy
for willing to play our bets
down on this slow road
knowing that the only thing that is certain
is what we don't know
untill our time is out we trek stubbornly
down the route of creativity
sacrificing the typical picture perfect lifestyle
sprinkled with security and stability
bearing the burden of the unpaid bills
to keep these skills steady in motion
like a pottery wheel
holding onto the hope that our talents
will someday be recognized
to the highest degree
where we wont need that crummy side job just to get by
catch us on the corners busking hustling
playing heartbeats on eardrums for nickels and dimes
tapping on heavenly floors like gregory hines
from private to public galleries
creating masterpiece after masterpiece
living off of love
while slowly dying from the low salaries,
getting complaints
from straightedged heads who complain like
"well that ain't no way to raise a family!"
as we respond
writing over wrongs
saying well that that's just the risk we take
to make dreams become reality
The heavy pressures of pitfalls and pleasures
documented through art and music
that potentially will live forever
now..for the record
lets get another thing straight
once an artist always an artist
There is no escape
Ive tried only to realize
living a lie was a mistake
there are hands much bigger than mine
that decide how to twist fate
see I never chose to use the art,
the art chose to use me
doomed for a lifetimes worth of expression
its safe to say that it is my duty
to create like there is no end
to get slapped
to get kicked
to get knocked down
and to get up again
voice of the voiceless
strenght for the weak
you ought to think about
what your world would look like without we
art matters, if it didn't
you would all be suffering a great loss
imagination would be at a standstill
surrounded by nothing but blank walls
some say the world would be better off
if there were no artists at all
well Im here to tell you if not us
who else would will color outside of your box?
call us the creative Rebels WITH a cause
who by any means, and any cost
is going out to regain the value
that us artists have lost
to anyone who says
the artist hustle ain't a real job
I'll fold my resumes into paper plane
and throw it at your brain
just get my point across
we repeat
if not us, who else will color outside of your box?
call us the creative Rebels WITH a cause
who by any means, and any cost
is out to regain the value
that us artists have lost

5 percent

95 percent of the population is either culturally or religiously brainwashed and incapable of free thought. That leaves 5 percent of the population who actually "get it".