(Dis)comfort

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

“The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.” – William Faulkner

Nothing is as beautiful as we can imagine it. Yet, there would be nothing unless we’d imagine it first.

That’s the thing… the constant aspiration towards what doesn’t exist…yet.

Frustrating, indeed.

We are who we are because we spend most of our time dreaming of becoming much, much more.

And art has the habit of showing us what is possible. Continue reading (Dis)comfort

How to Write a First Draft

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

Forgive me, for I am here to destroy your insecurities. Your excuses. That thing you do when you tell yourself that your first draft must be perfect. The illusion that great writing is born in a single moment of inspiration.

I want to destroy those things so you can get down to the business of writing. And that begins with first drafts.

First drafts tend to scare the hell out of most writers. Even the greats. Kurt Vonnegut said, “When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.”

So when a writer of his caliber makes a statement like that … do you think you will be any different? Continue reading How to Write a First Draft

The Writer: Episode #6

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” — Sidney Sheldon

BSOD or Blue Screen of Death is a an error screen displayed on a Windows computer system after a fatal system error.

Writers have something called a WSOD or White Screen of Death. It looks something like this: Continue reading The Writer: Episode #6

The 10 Most Famous Paintings of All Time

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

How many paintings do you think there are out there? In galleries and museums?

A few millions?

And out of them all, there are a handful of paintings so recognizable by people from all over the world and of all ages that they will probably be admired and talked about until the end of what we call human civilization. Continue reading The 10 Most Famous Paintings of All Time

Book Review: Ancient Book of Sex and Science

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

In this second volume in the critically acclaimed Ancient Book series, indulge yourself as you explore the strange frontiers of sex and science. From instruments of innovation and the Atomic Age to analysis of the mind, body, and seduction of the human form. Featuring broad color, shapely design, supple lines, and evocative commentary, The Ancient Book of Sex and Science is a fine art hardcover collection of images produced by some of the most highly sophisticated animation designers and low-brow artists in the industry.

This is a phenomenal book for all art aficionados. A must-have.  Continue reading Book Review: Ancient Book of Sex and Science

TMM: The Muse Needs Time

Posted on by Cristian Mihai

Time. The world’s most valuable commodity. Not only that, but you can trade it for anything else.

The muse also needs it. The more time you spend doing the work, the better you become. It is a rule of nature.

But sometimes people get caught in this romantic way of thinking. Art is about inspiration, about some sort of poetry, not just work ethic. They discard the craft part of art…

But truth is, the muse demands you sit at your desk and do the work. That you set aside a certain number of hours each day and get stuff done.

It’s the one rule you cannot bend or break.

Don’t water this down.

Don’t be seduced into thinking that art is inherently different than any other kind of work.