Core Value #1: Create art.
These are core values that I follow in order to maintain happiness and well-being. My overarching mantra is:
Happiness is sustained fulfillment.
Fulfillment is born out of creating art.
Below are the supporting core values:
- Create art.
- Be authentic.
- Travel and new experiences.
- Solid relationships.
- Peace where I live.
Keep Your Freedom. Give yourself options.
Will saying yes to _______ give up my freedom?
Everything in life is about having as many options as possible so you can maximize your freedom.
— James Altucher
The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth
Keeping your options open is paramount in making decisions. Be patient, think it through, and do not act out of emotion nor haste.
It’s not always about money either. Will that “dream job” paying $400,000 a year also absorb all extra free time that you have? If so, it’s not worth it.
Sure, there are always bills to pay. Having that day job, which pays the bills, allows you the freedom to work on your art for a couple hours every morning. But it’s a balancing act. Eventually, the art will start to pay the bills. ( Just don’t chase after it. ) Being mindful and adjusting the calibration of that combination comes with practice and assessment of self.
Be able to create art.
The freedom to create art. That’s what I love.
I’m a maker. I enjoy creating things in my spare time. Whether it be building apps, designing user interfaces, writing, creating letterpress artwork, coming up with concise workflows, making a new website, defining a user experience, making craft projects, cooking, etc; this, this is my art.
“Art is what you do with the oxygen you breathe and the experiences you create.” — Marc Eckō, Unlabel
This is about flexing the muscle. Practicing. Creating art over and over and over; making it muscle memory.
I make time for that first and foremost.
This post was originally created on May 7, 2015 and last updated on June 8, 2025.