Moment of Pride— At Principle Gallery
Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
I came across an article that discussed the parallels between Ralph Waldo Emerson’s description of self-reliance and the music of Prince. As odd as it sounds, it was a convincing argument, stating that the freedom needed to create requires the type of non-conformity and self-reliance that Prince possessed.
And that probably holds true for any artist. The artist has to be willing to stand alone, eschewing the impositions of society and going where they need to go in order to reach their artistic vision. And, in doing so, not needing the affirmation or approval of others.
Emerson put it this way:
We are such lovers of self-reliance, that we excuse in a man many sins, if he will show us a complete satisfaction in his position, which asks no leave to be, of mine, or any man’s good opinion.
I am not going into this very deeply. Just a quick thought that made sense to me this morning. Let’s listen to a song from Prince that very much lines up with Emerson’s words. You see it in this verse:
Don’t talk if it’s against the rules
Just walk away and be a fool
That’s what they want ya to do
So you got to walk like you want to make it
Don’t walk like you just can’t take it
Go on and walk on any side you like
Don’t walk wherever they tell you to, psyche
The sun will shine upon you one day
If you’re always walkin’ your way
Give a listen if you’re so inclined. Not a bad way to kick off a Tuesday morning. Good stuff…
Redtree Times 