The Anti-Influencer: Finding Art in Ordinary Life

I call myself a blogger and artist and that is what I am really. But I thought of anti-influencer when I thought of the absurdity of where I do most of my writing. Today I'm at a radiation clinic waiting on my mother in law to get her treatments. Her treatment doesn't take long per se. Its about 45 minutes a day, but its evrery day for seven weeks. So I find myself in the weirdest of places.

Unlike an influencer, I don't curate my blogs or topics and photos. You don't always see the best of me. Many times I write when I'm a complete trainwreck. I don't get out a lot and when I do its usually at a doctor's office or small art show. I don't visit exotic places for the ability to take a single selfie. I just write from wherever I am. I know a lot of writers have to have a specific place and setting to be able to write to get into a specific head space.

That used to be the case for me, but then life happens. When life is coming at you, things aren't always ideal. You're not always in your perfect office with your pictures and ambient music trying to flesh out the perfect masterpiece. Today for example, there is a kid in a wheelchair racing up and down the hallway. Its not bothering me. He's actually quite fast and efficient in that thing. His family is with him talking to the guy in the seat next to me while delivery people and others are coming and going.

Everyone here is pretty nice, unlike the crazy imaging waiting room I was in the other day with loud annoying people. This is a cancer clinic so I think people are more careful about their interactions and more cordial as a whole. That's been my experience so far. There is more of a community feel.

I've written blogs in my car while it was running while waiting when there were no seats available here inside, I often write on my couch and I think I wrote one at Starbucks, which 20 years ago would have been a cool thing and not unusual. But now they have hard chairs, bad acoustics and shitty music blasting. Because of so many homeless people that come around in this area, they've created a hostile mileau to run people off. It used to be a cool place to hang out and get work done. Now you end up with low back pain and ringing ears if you're there for too long.

I know a lot of people rag on influencers, and that isn't my goal here. But my whole brand is rawness and authenticity. I don't even filter my pictures, though I don't think there is a filter anywhere that could rescue my old mug. I just put myself out there and dump what is on my mind for all of you and hope at least some of it lands. So far, people seem to appreciate what I have to say, and I appreciate all of you for hanging out with me. I love this community we are building on realness and authenticity and hope to see us continue growing.

With the fall coming I am HOPING the weather will cool down here in Texas. I have some new hiking boots arriving today and I would love to start walking or hiking again. I look forward to taking some photos and blogging about those adventures. Maybe my brain works weird, but to me any trip out of the house is an adventure. I see cool things and have cool experiences anywhere. One of my favorite things is when I travel with my wife to court (she's an attorney), out of town and we often see lots of Turkey Vultures out in the country. I think they are beautiful and fascinating birds as well as having spiritual connotations. I try to get photos of them when I can, but often they fly away before i can get a good shot.

I guess that's what I'm trying to say. If you're a creator or artist, you don't have to go to the Louvre or Paris to find inspiration. There is inspiration and beauty right in your back yard. There is excitment and mayhem at the convenience store, or in a radiation waiting room. Any experience that effects you can be worth creating art about. The world is art, and we are the artists here to show others what the world has to offer. We usually just think too hard about it and make things way too difficult on ourselves. See the beauty in yourself and you'll recognize it in everyday things and people you encounter; raw and unfiltured. That is the heart of the Anti-Influencer.

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