Great post, Jacob! Thank you for sharing your insights. Reminds me of that scene in Soul after the main character finally lands his dream gig playing jazz on stage. They finish the set and he’s just like okay what do we do now? When he realizes they just come back tomorrow to play again, he’s a bit disappointed. The other musician tells him: I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, “I'm trying to find this thing they call the ocean.” “The ocean?” says the older fish, “that's what you're in right now.” “This?” says the younger fish, “This is water. What I want is the ocean.”
The bit about the goal/happiness being at the end of the rainbow reminded me of my favorite Ted Talk, which I always share with my about-to-graduate Illustration majors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M . Thanks for another great read!
Great post, Jacob! Thank you for sharing your insights. Reminds me of that scene in Soul after the main character finally lands his dream gig playing jazz on stage. They finish the set and he’s just like okay what do we do now? When he realizes they just come back tomorrow to play again, he’s a bit disappointed. The other musician tells him: I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, “I'm trying to find this thing they call the ocean.” “The ocean?” says the older fish, “that's what you're in right now.” “This?” says the younger fish, “This is water. What I want is the ocean.”
That’s too perfect. I think that’s exactly how I felt when my first book came out. My goals shifted to just getting better and enjoying the process.
The bit about the goal/happiness being at the end of the rainbow reminded me of my favorite Ted Talk, which I always share with my about-to-graduate Illustration majors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M . Thanks for another great read!
Nice! Added to my need to watch list. 👀 Where do you teach?
MICA! I used to teach in the undergrad program, but these days I'm in the grad illustration program.
Indeed! The joy is in the journey.
“…hoping for a quick and merciful end to my artistic career.” 🎯
If only for a passing moment 😜