sketchmanboris

Letter to Indians

Dear Indians,

I hope this message finds you well.

I want to start with an important definition that you should learn, no matter where you are. Here is the definition of etiquette:

“The customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.”

You can be however you like at home But you can’t behave, dress or eat, etc. like you do at home. Even home is sacred.

Please respect the etiquette, if you don’t know what the rules are, ask politely to people who might know. This goes beyond being outside in public spaces in India, this also needs to be considered in other countries.

I write this as a letter because you are ruining the reputation of people who live and work in that country outside of India.

And if you are reacting to this with, “we are not all the same and who are you to tell us?” That’s the point, exactly, I don’t need to hold any particular position or be of any particular ethnicity to tell you these things.

I initially was going to suggest that respecting etiquette should be taught as a course in schools, then I thought about the people who don’t go to schools. You just have to learn this and keep this in mind. And don’t even get started on the way Indian men behave towards women.

Best regards,

Sketchman Boris.

How do we know we exist ?

When my friend and fellow member of the Philosophy Discussioon meetup group here in Bangkok suggested that we try to answer the question of WHETHER WE EXIST, and HOW DO WE KNOW WE EXIST, I was not that into the idea.

But there is something in me that is trying to move the horse blinders away and try to understand what this could mean. Each philosophical discussion we have in our valued meetup group is a reminder that I can always learn from what other people will bring to the table. So I was in for the ride.

Let me try my best to summarize what were the main points that I got from the discussion. A new member named Yak asked to define what we mean by “exist” in order to get to possible answers to the main question: How do we know we exist?

This was a great way to start and we somewhat agreed that there are objective, scientific facts that can be shown by devices that our brains are working and thus are the starting point to these thoughts/ideas one of which is to ask the philosophical question that brought us together yesterday.

Even if we can’t define consciousness in a way that everyone would agree, we concluded that in line with Rene Descartes famous statement, we are consciously aware that we exist.

I think therefore I exist, comes from Meditations on First Philosophy. Upon reading it you are accompanied by his reasoning to come to that aforementioned conclusion. Dreams can deceive you, in how real it is and convince you that you exist in a reality that you ultimately wake up from. When one is dreaming it feels real because it simulates a reality that our brain is familiar with.

If I am misunderstanding it, please correct it, but Descartes says that one can’t be nothing thinking of nothing, even when one is thinking of nothing, one is something thinking about nothing. So you think therefore you are, or you think therefore you exist.

As Kash, Sunil, and Yak directed our attention to spiritual planes to be aware of the different levels of consciousness, it opened a cosmic door for discussion.

I will leave my critical view for a separate article on how spirituality has become a business affordable by a privileged few compared to the majority who are only driven to survive.

I have to admit, the way they steered it in that direction gets my praise and subjectively shed light on a way to answer the question of existence. It made me find a beautiful meaning to a phrase that gets thrown around too much: “Live in the moment, or live in the present.”

The spirituality in the way of talking about meditation practice got me thinking about thoughts in general. And in a very oversimplified short way, our thoughts can be categorized mainly in two: 1. We are either thinking of what happened, what we should’ve done, how to deal with it, etc. 2. Or thinking about what we need to do, paying attention to the future, preparing for them materially, emotionally.

So we are either living (1) in the past or (2) living in the future through our thoughts.

And we don’t exist as a conscious being in the present which is what gives meaning to existence as we defined earlier.

Olga, the friend who wanted to explore this question also brought up the point of free will and how that might make or break the way we somewhat agree on existence. To go back to the definition which we agreed on of a human, being conscious of his existence is existing.

Olga raised the point of if it’s the brain activity and the decisions that we make that define our existence then, if there is no free will and we are in some level only reacting to the things happening around us or things that happened to us in the past, then the absence of free-will also cancels the validity of a conscious existence in one’s mind.

I personally don’t agree on this, as someone devoid of free-will can still be proven to exist.

When we did the final round up where we answered the question, as shortly as possible, this is what I recall:

-Kash: We don’t know, we can’t prove it.

-Robert: We don’t know.

-Yak: We can prove with undeniable scientific facts that we use as humans (without going into the spiritual realm)

-Olga: We don’t know but, in some sense I don’t care and want to make sense of what I believe to be my existence and be of value for the existence of people around.

-Sunil: Looking at the question “How do we know we exist?” I cannot prove that WE exist but I know in my conscious mind that I exist.

Finally it comes down to me. I stand on my statement that I know that I exist and I try my best to help fellow Artists by creating a platform for independent artists. As small as it is now, it is proof that I can have a positive impact on other people’s lives.

Let’s make our existence a pleasant one.

What do you think? How do you know that you exist?

Written by Sketchman Boris.

What impact do Artists have in the world?

I have previously written about REMINDERS, in that, I believe we need reminders the most in life. These reminders can range from things or people that remind you of who you wanted to be in the first place before you’d lost your way, things or people that remind you that you are human first and foremost shifting your inner gear to compassion.

One of my favorite Thai Comic Artists is Namsai K. I finally had the time to catch the exhibition which was on display at the Bask project near BTS Thonglor (those who live in Bangkok will know) following her book launch.

One of the questions that she asks is what power do Artists have in society? It’s a very difficult question to answer because as Artists what we need to do is right in front of us, however, there are barriers we have been brought up to build between us and ourselves.

I am not a big fan of being frozen in the inability to define something. In my opinion, as someone who thinks about Art everyday, the role of Art is to remind us of our humanity. Which is why Art by definition should be made by humans. But my ideas on A.I Art are for another time.

I struggle with this question a lot about the impact which is why it stays with me and I am writing about it. I feel powerless. And in turn that powerlessness turns me more into an Artist that tries harder. Art is like a ray of light cutting through layers of all the stories you’ve told yourself about who you are and what you can do in the world. The more we let that ray shine through us as we become instruments of Art, I believe our impact in turn can be incalculable.

I still believe that a lot of people, including the Artists themselves, are scared of what Art can do. But we need to forge that beast from the honest lava that burns inside of us. We might burn, but burn bright connecting to Artists and connecting people to each other. To have that power we need to go within to the core. If we do that we can preserve the ecosystem and integrity of what it means to be an Artist now.

Written by Sketchman Boris.

Find yourself before you find your partner

I love walks, they always conjure thoughts and there is a way that even surprises me. They come already organized, packaged as if there is someone in my head talking to me, or just me talking to myself. In this letter, I call it that, because I feel like calling it that today. In this short letter I would like to share something that I think is difficult to practice but when it becomes part of your being, like any task, it confirms that greater the difficulty, the greater the reward.

I believe that you need to find yourself before you find your partner. I don’t want to say life partner, because you can love and be with someone without the expectation that their presence is going to be there the rest of your life. Actually on the side note, I think life partner as a set of terms is a promise to the future self and your partner that promise is aimed at rather than truth.

Simply, your life is longer and more than that partner. Not encouraging detachment just pointing out something that needed to be said.

You need to find yourself before you find your partner, and as a matter of fact I would go even further to say that you need to find yourself and love yourself before you find a partner. Love for yourself is more attractive to other people than one realizes. Sometimes no one notices it’s like a silent perfume that radiates from within. But it’s not only worth speaking or thinking about, you need to practice it. And the practice of self-love is as cryptic and fulfilling as the experience of the practice of meditation. And needless to say requires practice.

I consider the following truth that is being revealed to myself as I grow older and wiser: You don’t become just by saying or thinking about it, you need to do the things that you think are necessary to find yourself, to love yourself, and to love yourself you need to do what you love. Hatred or ignorance about what you do everyday can create a split within you, that might lead to confusion and sadness. Going further apart from yourself is akin to isolating yourself from the ones that love you. A lot of times the two aforementioned go hand in hand. Well, look at that!

The letter today wasn’t that short after all!

DO WHAT YOU LOVE.

Sketchman Boris

MAKING MONEY WITH ART

Making Art is synonymous to doing what I love, I am surprised when I come across interviews of writers who actually “hate” writing. I understand that it can be testing at times but not I guess that’s what love does. It’s akin to some difficult moments with the people you love.

Using Art to make money has bothered Artists for generations. So how do we shift that perspective to have a healthy outlook so that we can continue doing what we love?

Maybe that’s the first thing that comes to mind, making a living in a society that requires you to make money is nothing to be surprised of. So making money from art is hopefully what you love doing, because you don’t want to become famous doing something uniquely for money.

One of my favorite creators and I hope person, (I will meet in person some day for our annual BKK Comics Art Festival we organize in Bangkok), Neil GAIMAN told this story about the first gig he got as a writer. He published a book purely to get money, and he did, he got paid for the first printing and he bought an electric typewriter. And then the publisher went bankrupt and he had to look for another gig. At that moment he realized that if you do something that you enjoy doing, that you love doing, that brings you joy when you finish that piece, project, organize that event, etc. You get the money AND the satisfaction, the sense of fulfillment (actually sometimes not immediately it takes time). If you don’t get the money you at least get that sense of satisfaction, but if you solely do it for money, when you don’t get the money you feel being left out.

So always strive towards and bet on that future version of yourself that is doing the things you want to do now.

Making money is simply a way to continue doing what you love doing.

Another point that I would like to share, concerns those, like me, who strive to make a living doing their art full time. I am rephrasing this idea from Rick RUBIN after listening in a podcast when he said:

That one needs a stable source of income if you’re not making a living with your creation. So that you get the money to pay the bills and continue working on your craft.

I wanted to write about this because I personally struggle with this and have to be reminded of some things to myself, hence this me talking to myself aloud. This remains somewhat of a controversy among those who identify as “real’ Artists. (You can read my thoughts on what I think is a “REAL” Artist here)

Written by Sketchman Boris.