“Your ego takes you away from the present moment. Imagine living your whole life thinking about the past and the future, and then realising at the end that all you ever had was the present moment – but you were too stuck in your head to fully engage your senses and enjoy the world around you.”
Ego is a person’s sense of self, including their thoughts, feelings, self-esteem, and sense of self-importance. It can be a self-protection mechanism that helps people feel safe in their comfort zone.
“Everyone hides who they are at least some of the time. Sometimes you bury that part of yourself so deep that you have to be reminded it’s even there at all.”
“In his book, On Bullshit (2005), Frankfurt noted that ‘most people are rather confident of their ability to recognise bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it’. However, more than 98 per cent of our participants rated at least one item in our bullshit receptivity scales to be at least somewhat profound. We are not nearly as good at detecting bullshit as we think.”
“Living your truth is daunting and yet empowering, unimaginable but possible, raw and fulfilling. It may be the greatest gift we can give ourselves, but it can be completely overwhelming. As several celebrities recently spoke openly about their sexual orientation and gender identity, they become an example of what is possible, ushering in an era of being oneself completely.”
“It’s likely that narcissistic personality disorder is caused by several factors, such as environmental circumstances (including the child-parent relationship) and genetics.”
Creating art can also have many benefits for the brain, including:
Activating the reward center: Making art can activate the brain’s reward center.
Lowering stress and anxiety: Making art can help lower stress and anxiety.
Promoting brain plasticity: The process of creating and appreciating art promotes brain plasticity, which can lead to cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills.
Art therapy is a recognized form of treatment because engaging in a creative practice can help reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD.
“I write about my own work because I want to speak for myself. I might not be the only authority, nor the best authority, but I want to participate in the writing of my own history. Why should artists be validated by outside authorities. I don’t like being paternalised and colonised by every Tom, Dick or Harry that comes along (male or female).” — Marlene Dumas
