making babies

they are two types of babies in the world. one of them looks like this:

cute, cuddly, adorable and they smell good. 

and then there are these types of babies:

a little scary, i know. 

the second type of babies is not overgrown men (although that could qualify as well), but i'm actually talking about creative babies. the kind where you come up with an idea, nurture it, grow it and make something out of it. and it's your baby. these guys above are all geniuses at making those kind of babies. 

they say it takes a village to raise a child, and anyone who's ever babysat a toddler for more than two hours knows that it is not a one person job. they make you want to tear your hair out, they exhaust you and they run you into the ground, all the while smiling sweetly. parents can't get enough help, and it's an endless quest to find more family, more money and more hands.

yet... when it comes to creative babies, so many artists choose to struggle down the path alone. there is a sense of ego involved - that something is my creation and i want all the credit. but how foolish is that?!

look at these guys! together they've creatively achieved more than they ever would have been able to do on their own. raising a creative baby is no different than raising a baby-baby. it's a shit ton of work! so why would you not get your village in place, give credit where credit is due, and in the process make an amazing piece of work that elevates everyone involved?

every person has a set of parents who originally gave birth and hopefully provided the bulk of love and support. but we would not be who we are without the numerous friends, experiences, teachers and soulmates along the way. in fact, we turn out to be better, deeper and richer people when we've had more life-expanding experiences.

it's gotta work the same way with creation too. collaboration should be the journey upon which the masterpiece is created. we need to recognize the contributions and potential of others around us b/c it truly benefits the big picture.

so lay down your lions, let others in, and get to work.

(los angeles)