Get in the Van.

Some people still wait for the world to be handed to them. They want to be discovered, be an overnight success, want some company or celebrity to come down from the mountain top, and give them a free ticket.

It’s about waiting for gatekeepers to permit them to make, build, create and dream. And I know exactly where that comes from. It’s the story we’re sold. You become a viral celebrity and get signed by a company that gives you your show. It’s the same story we get sold repeatedly about lucky people being given their lucky break. And you know what the story is intended to do? Help the powerful stay powerful. Help the rich stay rich. Keep you grateful and controlled.

Waiting for permission, a handout, and the golden people to let you in perpetuates the idea that someone should be allowed to control access to creativity and entrepreneurship. That kind of thing serves the corporations and the curators pretty well. It lets them keep playing a massive part in the supply chain. It allows them to keep owning what we consume and when we consume it. It lets them hold the narrative. It enables them to own everything. It lets them own you.

What’s the alternative? Go indie. Stay indie. Don’t give in.

I don’t see a reason to wait for permission. Permission isn’t coming. Nobody is going to turn around and say, “You know what? Now, you’re allowed to build that software. Now, you’re allowed to make what you want to make. Now, you’re allowed to be who you are inside.” We spend so much time waiting for permission because it’s what we’ve been trained to do. We look for the gatekeeper when we want to start something new or live out our truth. We’re used to hall passes, time-outs, and parental/societal safety nets, and that’s what we’re waiting for now.

The truth is, nobody gives a damn if you’re holding back. Nobody cares if you’re trying to be someone you’re not, nobody cares if your ideas never turn into reality, nobody cares if you have a notebook full of incredible concepts, and nobody cares if you have the potential to change the world. Nobody gives a good Goddamn enough to turn around and permit you to let all of that out. The only way to make them care is to decide that the permission doesn’t matter, and you’re going to do it all anyway, and if they hate it, love it, or react with complete indifference, at…