Have you heard about Frank Ocean’s Coachella set?
It was quite polarizing.
My experience of it was: that was the best thing I’ve ever witnessed.
Why?
Because Frank showed us himself.
So much of what we do as humans is performative.
And Frank’s Coachella experience was not a performance. (Which rocked some people’s world, because it is a fair thing to expect the closing set of Coachella to be a performance).
It was real and raw.
It was a direct view into his creative process.
It felt like I was witnessing him in the zone, playing his music, making new music, signing his songs, having fun. He created a deeply intimate and emotional experience for over 100,ooo people. It was wild.
He also showed us that he does not create for other people, but for himself.
And fans got a little bent out of shape thinking that he, the artist, owes them something.
But honestly, I do not think artists owe us a damn thing except to be true to themselves.
And I have never felt more inspired by an artist than I am by Frank.
I chose this perspective. I chose to trust that whatever he shared with us would be directly in service to me. I chose to see the human on stage. I chose to bask in his beautiful voice. I chose to laugh at the silly parts. I chose to see the magic in the desert on that Sunday night.
Frank turns his emotions and experience into his art, and he does not do it for the accolades or recognition, he does it, because that is what he was put here to do.
He does it because, how could he not do it?
And that, I believe, is a grounding principle of creativity: do it for yourself and for the love of your craft.
And see what happens.
XO,
Teresa
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