I keep on comparing Alysa Liu to our Tezos community here - talented, hard-working, a little edgy, smart - but perhaps it's in poor taste to say it like this but her unusual upbringing suggests that she also comes from a "decentralized" background, just like us but are nonetheless so lovable. 😂
Jokes aside, I'm kind of obsessed about Liu right now because in the last few months I was looking for concrete examples of how "believing in yourself" can yield real results, and she just kind of popped out of nowhere, answering all my questions.
This is a lesson in how powerful artistic autonomy can be. Her performances are captivating because there is no distinction between her life and her work because they are one in the same - "mastery" is achieved when living life itself is also your practice.
Also triggers some gratitude for my parents and family for being supportive of my projects and a way of life - even though 90% of the time they have no idea what I'm even talking about. 😂 Money and success comes and goes, but overall, I'm pretty happy with my artistic endeavors and feel fulfilled.
But it's mostly because they let me do what I wanted, and let me learn my lessons on my own. My work is not only mine, but I'm also responsible for it - which makes the choices within it that much more meaningful. I'm grateful for all of it, really. 🙏
Alysa is a great model for people and organizations (even in tech) to invest in creative talent, btw. The biggest breakthroughs happen when support meets talent, no strings attached. All too often you see the money side suffocate the creative side by adding unnecessary expectations and obligations to the process, killing the heart and soul of the whole thing.
Look, if you're building a bridge or a building, I get that there can be no room for error. But this is art - interesting is the product - just let it happen and stay out of the way of the folks doing the work. 🎭