Feeding the Hungry Beast. (60 sec)

The ego craves applause. It’s like feeding a hungry beast that’s never full. When an artist creates, there’s often this hope — the “please like me” syndrome — that the work will get praise, validation, recognition. “Oh, your song moved me,” “Your book changed my life,” “This is genius!” All these reactions sound great, right? But what we don’t see is that each clap feeds the ego, inflates it just a little bit more, until it’s a hot-air balloon. The same people who inflate that ego? They’ll deflate it in a second, poke holes in it when it’s least expected.

So we put out this work, the applause comes, and somewhere in the background, there’s this subtle, nagging doubt: is it really any good, or do I just need to be told it is? The artist who’s grounded in what they create doesn’t need applause. The work stands on its own, like a mountain, unbothered by who’s looking. When you’re in that space, where the work speaks louder than any praise or critique ever could, then you know you’ve created something real, beyond ego.

So, the applause fades… What’s left standing? A hollow echo, or something unshakably real?

#thinkgod
I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.