Be Yourself by Bibiana Krall
One of my favorite literary quotes is by the inimitable Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel he wrote that certainly speaks of this merit and one that haunts me in the final and macabre scene. I won’t do a spoiler, if you have not had the pleasure. Read the book, then we can chat about what the symbolism means to each of us.
The past week I have had lively and thought provoking interactions with two, very different writers who have contradicting ideas of what success is.
I want to break something down for you that’s been floating around in the Bibiana aether. Success first and foremost is being yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you and I carbon copies of each other. To have a singular taste in food, books and fashion is to forget culture, history and family traditions. Our differences make the world so interesting and beautiful, seriously I would be bored to tears otherwise. Fortunes are made every day by another person’s ability to make us think we need this homogeny to complete our lives.
To live a creative life for the sake of it is huge and it should not be dismissed.
Secondly, success is the ability to devote yourself to something that you love and not starve to death in the process; this is how I define commercial success.
Now here’s the wrench. Each one of us have a different path to get there. Sure hard work and discipline is key, but some won’t ever have the spotlight or the kudos. Does this make you a failure? I say no. Does it make you more of a gambler or dreamer? Perhaps.
The most important thing to remember is that we must be willing to fail and fall hard to figure out what works for us. This applies to everyone, not just artists.
Vincent Van Gogh is the best example I know of. He kept painting, even though he died penniless and virtually unknown while living in his brother’s house. If his sister-in-law had not taken to the streets and convinced a gallery to display his paintings, (post mortem) the art world would have missed out on one of the greatest painters in modern history.
My best advice to you and to myself is that no matter what challenges you face, or how you define success, the greatest one will always be deeply entrenched in the divine purpose to share your soul and to bring something important to other people’s lives.
Thank you for reading my books, this blog and for subscribing. It means everything the you are here with me.
Until next time find your Peace, Love, Hustle, then Read or Write. Xox Bibiana