MY CREATIVE COMMANDMENTS

I know there’s no rules to the game but I have order to what I do. I creatively live by commandments. 

PAY THE PRICE 

Ric Flair is a legend. Easily the Greatest Of All Time. He’s known for his limousine, Rolex wearing jet flying promo the most. There’s this promo he did in WCW that always stuck with me where he talked about paying the price. There’s a price to pay for every decision you make. Big or small. Before starting my brand I questioned what was the price I had to pay. What’s the price for all the equipment I may need? What’s the price I have to pay to make my brand respected. What’s the price I have to pay to reach my goals? What’s the price I have to pay to be a good writer? To keep it wrestling it’s like The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase says in his theme song.  

“Everyone has a price. Everyone’s gotta pay.” 

If you wanna be great or live in a rare percentage you have to pay the price it demands. How much time are you dedicating to your cause? How much are you sacrificing? There’s no way around it for me. You have to pay the price. 

SHUT THE FUCK UP & CREATE 

Nobody gives a fuck about you say you’re gonna do. They barely give a fuck when you actually do it so what makes you think they give a fuck about your words? I made a pledge to myself to just flood the streets and show the work and work ethic. Let it speak for itself. I just shut the fuck up and write. The creatives that shut the fuck up and create are the ones who get far. Who’s gonna be more impactful? The one who says they’re gonna drop 30 points in a basketball game or the one who does it consistently without telling you? People who talk a good game and then whatever they drop doesn't live up to the expectations they set always look like idiots. If they would just shut the fuck up and create the losses they take wouldn't be so publicized. 

I’m not speaking before the game or during the game of creativity. I’m just showing up to put in the work. We can talk after it’s over and go over whatever you wanna talk about and even then that will be short lived because I’m gonna move onto something else and do that while shutting the fuck up also. Results matter not what you say. 

DON’T BE LIKE ANYONE ELSE   

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." - Coco Chanel 

I don’t want to do what anyone else is doing. We can do the same profession but as long as we execute it different I’m good. I don’t think I write like anyone else. I don’t podcast like anyone else (although I’m still trying to find my lane in it). When you blend in creatively you lose yourself. Whatever makes you different that’s what you must embrace. You have to make the most of it. Even if it’s not popular. Don’t hide or waste what makes you unique by copying whatever is cool or whatever everyone else is doing. You’re made to stand out like Powerline. 

STAY IN YOUR LANE 

Uncle Lavar Ball said it best. When I’m in my lane good things happen because it’s where the fuck I belong. Every time I wander away from my lane and try to be extra in another one goofy shit happens. Don’t matter if you do the dash or go below the speed limit as long as you’re in your lane. The pace is up to you. My mental is not built for traffic so venturing over to other people lanes is something I won’t be partaking in. 

NOBODY OWES ME SHIT 

This is my favorite commandment to live by. Look at it from my point of view. If I wrote about someone on this blog and suddenly by me mentioning them their name gets bigger I do NOT expect them to give me anything in return. I just keep moving along with what I’m doing. I do not expect money, cosigns, nothing. Now if they do something for me anyway then fine but I’m not expecting anything. Nobody owes me shit. When I release content I’m not expecting anyone to read it. Nobody owes me their attention. I release content because it’s fun and therapeutic for me. I don’t release content with the expectations of a certain number of views. I do it because it’s fun. Nobody owes a read to me. 

I give more than I take. I give out content FOR FREE 4-5 times a week. I don’t get anything in return physically but what I do get in return that people don’t see is I gain relationships and my rep and brand gets value. Anything you see winning has value. Bottom line. I could easily charge music artists for write-ups. If I take the money and start writing about every song or album sent to me then my brand takes a hit and becomes watered down. It shows you that I can be bought. There’s no sense of privilege to being on PoliteAsFlannels if all you have to do is pay me to post you. What good is the money if the respect not there? 

You have more of an advantage of doing things not expecting anything in return than expecting people to return favors and having people owe you. It’s because you will not have anyone to blame for potential disappointment but yourself. I can never be disappointed because I give without expecting shit in return. I truly believe no one owes me anything. Nobody owes you shit in creativity or in life. No one has to book you, buy things from you, or support you. If they do great. If they don’t that’s even greater because you know where you stand and you can move the fuck on.  

JUST DO

You never see a sharp shooter in the NBA hesitate shooting a 3-pointer. If they do hesitate it’s a pump fake otherwise they don’t think about the make or miss. The outcome is irrelevant. You can worry about it later. Just get the ball in the direction of the basket. Soon as you get an idea in your mind. Do it. Start right there with what you can. Fuck overthinking, wondering, all of it. I didn’t have all the details for podcasting and I started it right away. We literally agreed to do the podcast and a week or 2 later recorded episode 1. Didn’t sound the greatest but by the time we reached episode 7 the sound was crisp. Fuck looking for approval, opinions, just do it. Nothing makes sense when you start. But it shouldn’t stop you from just doing it. Can you imagine if Top Dawg hesitated and just pondered about starting T.D.E instead of just doing it? You don’t need motivation to just do. Motivation is fleeting. There’s gonna be times where you aren’t motivated and motivation is nowhere to be found and it’s gonna be discipline that gets you to where you wanna be. All you need is discipline and focus. 

IT'S MY FAULT

I like removing excuses or the possibility of excuses far as fuck away from me as I can. If someone doesn't like me I'll remove myself from them completely and never speak on them. So now they have no excuse to say shit about me. If they do they'll look like a hater, not me because I haven't been around them and I haven't said shit about them. It's my fault I know them anyway. If something doesn't go my way then it's my fault. If someone does some foul shit on the business end then it's my fault for putting my trust out there. Look, I don't have time to hold grudges or hunt people down. I'll just declare you as a bitch ass nigga and learn my lesson. It was my fault. I'm very accountable with everything that comes my way in creativity. Everything my fault. So now that I know that, it allows me to not dwell on unfortunate situations and focus on my goals.

KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE

I can’t do shit without self awareness. If I don’t know who the fuck I am then you wouldn’t be reading this or hearing me on our podcast. I know what I’m good at. I know what I’m trash at. I understand and accept both and that allows to be my best creatively. If you don’t know who the fuck you are you not going far and if you do get somewhere you’re not gonna last unless you figure that out. 

Peace

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