It wasn’t until recently that I really begun to understand and appreciate books as a source of inspiration. Which is a pretty dumb thing to realize after I’ve already decided to commit to labeling myself as a writer/artist/documenter/etc.

This realization came not just with specific ideas and movements from the pages in my hands, such as disgust, awe or amusement, but through those very pages, I have become more adept at drawing out and recognizing consistencies and patterns.

In Catch 22, the absurd and convoluted humor settled me into a world where the clear and odious, brutal immorality of war could really have a profound impact, because of how I was on the edge of my seat to understand the next joke. And when it came, along with the disgusting realization that this isn’t far from the truth at all, it really sunk in deep and made me feel truly, deeply disgusted.

This is just an example of these patterns and considerations that active and engaged reading can show you, if you allow yourself observe it from a critical and excited lens. You see why something impacts you in such a way, and understand the path you were put on, which hopefully leads you to being able to replicate that impressive display of artistry you just experienced.

I do this by not just reading closely and with my full awareness, but by trying to understand why I’m reading this and what purpose is being served by this being introduced to me. And not just why I am taking this in, but why is the author giving it to me to take in.

And don’t forget, as writers we are documenters of the universe, which includes documenting and observing other documentations, because the universe wouldn’t be so dynamic or expansive if you only looked at it from your dimension or perspective. You need to be open to other’s in order to build on how you naturally perceive.

Descartes said that all truths can be found from within and we simply have to look inside ourselves to understand the world around us. I believe this is true to an extent, since I believe we are all capable of understanding each other in some way, and each of us are different slices of the universe. However, we can only get a full taste of the flavor of the cosmos by taking our metaphorical tongues and dragging it taste buds first, across each other so we can learn what it tastes like to be something else.

Perhaps that image is repulsive to some people, and to those people I ask you to please lick me and see where it is I come from. Because I come from somewhere absurd and in desperation to not fall victim to boredom, which clearly comes from uninteresting repetition and unfulfilling ideas, among other places. And I am very sure that people licking each other is a fulfilling idea to many people. It’s only human nature, don’t blush.