The Crisis That Halted Podcast Posting

I got a message from my good friend, Ryan. He wanted to know why I'm posting all this shit, but haven't sent out any podcast episodes.

Man...I ran into an online existential crisis.

See, I follow the classic saying from Busta Rhymes that states, "Don't talk about it, be about it." I realized that a podcast *could* be the epitome of that statement. I felt I was focusing a bit too much on talking about topics when I hadn't lived up to my 2020 goals of being about my art. (And you know I take my New Years Resolutions seriously.)

That didn't sit well with me. So for February, I put my primary focus on staying on the creative habit, so I wouldn't start letting that slip away from me. Because I'll be damned if I become that noisy guy that doesn't create anything.

Also, the current idea is that you just fart out any kind of content and that'll be good for your brand. I've seen that happen enough times to know that's not the case. Also, that'd be bad for the rest of the brand if you saw my regular print creations and things fall off in exchange for some online hot air.

Anyway, don't worry. I'm still doing the podcast, but I promised you steak over sizzle, so that's what I'm doing. Always.

- Mr Benja -

The Podcast Is Returning

After almost a year of working through different angles and options, it's become apparent that The 8BitCubist podcast needs to come back for 2020 and beyond.

I've spent the past several weeks testing and figuring out a plan that would work for the audience. There were a few versions I tried, but didn't work out. Those will never see the light of day. I've finally got what I was looking for though: something that matches the art, entertains, and educates. I think the listeners of the previous podcast would appreciate that. Watch the website and 8Bit Cubist on social media for release information.

http://facebook.com/8bitcubist
http://instagram.com/8bitcubist

- Mr Benja -

I Need Change Agents To Actually Change Anything

Something is going on this year. I can feel it. While I can't put my finger on it, something changed once 2019 arrived. Do you feel it? I hope you feel it, because there's some good energy in the air. Not everyone is going to catch it though. Will you?

The Martin Luther King Jr Day week got me thinking about change and working towards a better future. I care about the knowledge and the work that I can do to make the world a little better place.

So how does one change? Like REALLY change? One thing I like to do it is implement a 'change agent'. I alluded to this concept with my New Year's post. But remember that a change agent doesn't have to be a holiday, it can be anything that works you. Any place, image, person, song, event, creedo, et cetera that symbolizes your concept of progress can help you get to that next level. Have that dream!

Think about weddings, uniforms, knighting, graduations, insignia, powerful memories, etc.

So my personal change agent was to finally appreciate a set of nearly four hundred abstract drawings coupled with moving out of my painting studio last year. Those two things together have come to symbolize an artistic shift in my head. Every time I see those drawings, I immediately think about how I've grown out of my art studio, and I get to creating some new ideas. And I've put those drawings on my nightstand so I think about them when I wake up and go to bed. Over time, they've started to become second nature; the change is setting in.

That artistic change has manifested itself in the print project known as The Trap Vector. The prints I've been creating from that project are available now. Your support and feedback is appreciated, so click that link and check it out.

https://thetrapvector.com

Take care.
- Benja -

I Have Been A Communications Fuck-Up For Decades

They say the first step in fixing a problem is to admit that you have one. Well, I'm saying it now: I don't think I've ever properly communicated very well for my entire life. I can trace bad communication back to my childhood. We were out at a mall, and I honestly wanted to show her a cheap plastic balloon set, so I tried walking outside with it. The hope that she would bring me back inside to pay for it. That didn't work out so well. I was legitimately confused when she and the store manager had a long discussion about what I was really trying to do that day. I was trying to communicate to my mother in a way I thought she'd understand. I expected her to say something like: "Oh look, young Benjamin walked all this way from the toy store to show me something!" Sadly, I didn't get the plastic balloons.

Fast forward decades later, and I'm still fucking up communication.

I generally have no idea to communicate properly, but in 2019, It's my resolution. As far as you're concerned, you will see me doing better communication with this blog. I've kept up a reasonable blogging schedule, so I think I can keep doing this without driving myself mad.

Alright. I've already got the idea for the next blog post, so I think we're getting somewhere.

I Can't Deal With People, Not Even When Good Food Is On The Line

One of the hardest things for me to do is to have a straight-up deal. People always want to add bullshit, adjust parameters, play dumb, try to game, avoid compromise, assume favorable positions, and just behave in disingenuous manners. I think people don't believe what I actually say for some reason. 

 For example, I was going to meet up to eat at a cool restaurant with someone that I hadn't seen in a while. (We were both into checking out cool food places.) We were going to work out some things and catch up. The deal was that we would both split the bill for the dinner. Later on, though, they said that the meeting would be a part of their birthday week. I didn't think think much of it. 

 A few days later I hopped into heavy LA traffic to make my way to the meetup. I got a call and then a text while I was driving, so I pulled over and returned the call. Turns out the person was just checking on my ETA. Cool. But somewhere in the quick banter, the birthday week was mentioned again. I had to call the person on that little bit of verbal subterfuge. Well then they confessed that they expected me to pay for dinner. I hung up, got back in the car, and turned around. That relationship is basically over now.

 So yeah, I've been told that I'm hard to deal with. I've also been told that I'm quite particular. Whatever. If getting things in order is a problem when you're dealing with people's money, time, energy, etc. then life around me will be a problem. Going forward, I'm going to be much MORE of a hardass in dealing with clown behavior. But I'm in a happier place, so I'll be less of a grump about it. The blows will come faster, but will feel softer. 

It's 2019. 
Let's go.

With This One Weird New Year's Trick, People Won't Judge You

Whenever you do something different, people like to pass judgement and throw resistance in your path. It's annoying. I'm very familiar with it. Fortunately, you can score a win with people during times of expected change (marriage, death, graduation, new house, etc.)

Although full of nonsense, The New Year is a pretty standard time of expected change.

See, what usually happens when you try to change is that people will work to hold you back, even if they don't do so intentionally. This is something you should expect. The resistance to a new you is baked into society. Maybe we're just more comfortable that way. But the reason doesn't matter. Just be thankful that we have New Year's. Because during January and a few weeks in February, you can try out just about ANYTHING and get away with it. Here's an example:

Them: "What the hell are you doing?"
You: "Just trying out [insert weirdo-level action] for the New Year. Gotta change it up!"
Them: "Oh...uh...I see...well good luck with that!"

Or something similar. People will just assume that you'll just go back to being whatever they thought you were like before, so they won't give you too much flack for trying something different. But if you were to do something new and random with no holiday or occasion attached, you'd get complaints, unfounded concerns, and all manner of resistance.

There are even people that sound like they're on your side, but may not understand your attempt at true evolution.  They'll actually end up sabotaging you by being friendly. For example, your favorite donut-buddy might say "Oh, you're working out for the New Year? Keep it up!" Once a week goes by, they'll offer you some fresh and creamy donuts because "you deserve it".  Don't fall for that. It's a trap.

In fact, you should be working to associate your eating with people that despise donuts. Your donut-buddy might be a little upset at your choices early on, but if you're real about it, you should both go on with a happy co-existence.

Finally, when you actually end up changing for the better along the way, naysaysers won't really have too much to say about your upgrade. Since you'll have wrapped your change around a holiday or an event, they won't get too upset. The change will make sense in their heads, even if it doesn't make logical sense. People just need a 'why'.

Example:

Person 1: "Joey stopped eating at Taco Bell."
Person 2: "Really? Why?"
Person 1: "Dunno, but he stopped after he left that last job."
Person 2: "Ohhh...I think it's because they served tacos at work once."

Person 2 really has no clue, but will make up some bullshit rationalization about the job and Taco Bell. That's okay though. That's Person 2's problem.

You've made the change, and the people around you are going to go along with it. They've made up reasons in their head for it all to make sense. As long as you have a 'why' attached to it. The New Years is a great one.

Try making a change when your birthday comes around, when an election happens, when you have a child, when you relocate, when you join a group, when you change jobs, etc. You can add symbolism too. Get a haircut, buy new shirts, shop at different stores, rearrange your home, etc. And don't get too worried about what people think, at the very least, they'll think you're interesting while you're trying things out.

But times are changing, and so should you.
Happy New Year's everyone!

December Is Beta Testing For The New Year

For the past several years, I have been using December (and October/November to some extent) as a trial period for resolutions that I wanted to keep in the New Year. This year is no different. I'm only blogging about it this year because I will be attempting to blog more. Like...a lot more. I don't know why I've chosen this outlet instead of something more visually apparent like Instagram (where I do like to post), but this is what I'm going with for now since it seems to make sense.

Let's see what happens.