I see a world that is inhabited by two classes of people.*
Painters are not happy with the world as it is. Culture as we know it is the collection of ideas from the creators of the past and present. Creators that did and do form the bulk of a our experiences. Painters see that something is missing. From the Ray Krocs that altered our diets and the Thomas Edisons that extended our days, to the Frances Scott Keyes that wrote songs we know by heart and Dave Weiners that realized content should be free, they each realized something could be better. Good or bad, the moment any painter starts wielding the power of his brush, they leave history’s world behind and start painting the future.
Cows on the other hand don’t think or act. They lumber around a pasture which offers grass to be eaten while always thinking life is what exists within a fence. They are passives who view the world as a closed system which produces goods and experiences to consume. The world appears as a collection of others’ work. The thought that the world is a malleable surface either eludes their minds or is of no interest. The status quo is good enough.
Some parting thoughts:
- No one gives you permission to paint. No RSVP is needed.
- Many people and companies will ask beg you to consume their vision of the world.
- Some painters are famous, others are not. Some paint murals in buildings, others hang their work in their house.
- Cows all look the same when you are far enough away.
* Obviously there is some overlap and exceptions and I am grossly overgeneralizing. But still, the fact remains: most people sit and fewer people run.
