BACK TO FUN

Decided to switch things up on our fourth Viewfinder. For anyone looking to read a more conventional essay, I recommend my Passion of Weiss debut that was published last week. As well as Gary Suarez’s relaunch of his must-read Cabbages newsletter, Jeff Weiss’ excellent Shock G obituary, Paul Thompson’s incredible Master P retrospective, Jaelani Turner-Williams beautiful honoring of Janet Jackson’s All for You, Michael Penn’s inspiring liner notes on Freddie Gibb’s Str8 Killa, and Mankaprr Conteh’s pleasant interview with Topaz Jones. 

So on Friday, April 23rd, I tweeted, “Getting back to having fun.” A brilliant friend, Ayanna Mcneil, sent me a voice note on the subject. Ayanna is the founder and CEO of independent media company Brainwash, a multifaceted digital space for Black and Brown youth to share their stories, so we frequently have these stimulating conversations about art, music, and storytelling. Below is a slightly edited transcript of our exchange:

Ayanna: I love this Yoh getting back to having fun business. 

Yoh: I realized if you aren’t having fun, then what are you doing? As creatives, we can end up doing so much work for results. Paying attention to the wrong things will make you forget what made you create in the first place. That’s when the work stops being fun. And if all you’re doing is working, it doesn’t read fun, and it doesn’t sound fun, it’s not enjoyable at all. 

There’s this interview with Vince Staples in GQ where he’s talking with Desus of Desus & Mero. Vince mentions how the singer SAINt JHN told him his music is good, but nobody cares. I thought that was a wild thing to say because Vince Staples, to me, makes much better music than SAINt JHN, but I can’t remove the fact that, in his own twisted way, SAINt JHN has a point.

I wouldn’t associate this with Vince, but it’s possible to make good art that doesn’t resonate with people. We as creatives can get attached to this idea of how the work is good, but not how it makes people feel. I believe artists enjoying their expression convey a more universal message than people who aren’t having a good time. 

Ayanna: You should be a writer or something, lol. But Yoh, that is so real. It’s very easy, especially for people like us with huge ideas, to bury our heads in the sand and work, work, work, and work just to look up and two, three, or four years have suddenly passed. Yeah, you’ve done amazing work, but you haven’t lived your life in that. 

So much so that all those huge milestones within your work, rather a huge feature, or a moment where you’ve overcome an obstacle, you don’t even recognize that as a W because you’re so focused on the next thing. You aren’t taking a second to acknowledge how much you really love this because everything is moving so fast. 

I also think many of us throw ourselves into work when we’re trying to avoid the world at large, personal problems, family stuff, or a soured romantic relationship. But last year showed us that it’s all about having fun and enjoying every moment of every second within every day. Because tomorrow is not promised to anybody. There are no certainties. 

And I agree with you, I can kind of tell when someone isn’t enjoying the thing that they’re making or made. Artists can become someone that creates with a chip on their shoulder who feels like they have something to prove to their “haters.” That’s cool, but I firmly believe people connect to my work because they connect with me as a person, not my results. 

I love what I discuss and the ideas I put out. Rather it’s a selfie, a podcast episode, an editorial essay, or an article of clothing. I have to love what I do because they can tell and feel how my online presence is a reflection of who I am in real life. 

And I’m having fun.