Andy and Philosophy

Last week, in the art section at Half Price Books, I found and have since been reading The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. It's full of quotes and short essays on a variety of subjects -- love, fame, beauty, work, time, success, art -- to name a few. It's surprising to discover that much of his philosophy makes sense...to me.

If someone has a conviction about how to live and doesn't live that way, their life becomes one of hypocrisy. Or as Andy Warhol so aptly states:

"It's not that my philosophy is failing me, it's that I'm failing my own philosophy. I breach what I preach more than I practice it."

Lately I've been thinking a lot about one of my guiding philosophies.

Reese and I hold this truth to be self evident, that all people at all times are more important than stuff, or doing stuff.

If this is not true, if accomplishing things is more important than attending to people, then I'm screwed. And yet, twice last week, one of my sweet neighbors invited me over and I was "too busy" to go. So like Andy, at times like that, I'm failing my own philosophy.

It's only an issue these days, though, because a portrait commission is in the works, needs to get finished, and instead of diligently working on it, I'm (mostly) philosophically living.