Author Archives: Shyft

Jim Henson’s Labyrinth as Social Commentary

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Shyft

For the longest time I considered this movie to be a simple joy ride through dreamy fantasy, some thing absurd just for the sake of absurdity. When compared to the Henson Studio’s other work, particularly The Cube, Time Piece, and … Continue reading →

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The Silence Between the Notes, or The Hacking of our Dreams

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Shyft

Have you ever wondered why you enjoy some art and not other art? Why one genre of music seems to ‘speak to you’, and others feel unimportant or even annoying? Why you continually seek out, say, action movies, but roll … Continue reading →

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To Build a Home

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Shyft

This is a long post about my development, specifically my philosophical development, for the sake of offering a version of the intellectual scaffolding that I built for my self throughout the years in order to climb up to where I … Continue reading →

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So, you didn’t even participate, and you still want a trophy

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Shyft

We fought for better working conditions.  We got better pay.  We got forty hour work weeks.  Benefits!  Workers’ unions were put in place to protect these things, and push for more.  These things became status quo.  Now we have anti-union … Continue reading →

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Who wants to join my cyberpunk centrist nu-metal band?

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Shyft

Who wants to join my cyberpunk centrist nu-metal band? I am trying to understand politics/economics.  I empathized with Plato’s fears of democracy, but I couldn’t get down with his censorship of art (yes, I actually liked his caste system for … Continue reading →

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Generalizations

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Shyft

From an important perspective, there are three kinds of generalizations.  One reflects a minimal personal observation.  One reflects coincidental norms.  One reflects systemic behaviors.  Why make a distinction?  Because not all issues can be discussed on the macro or individual … Continue reading →

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Cing of Cogs

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Shyft

I knew that I wanted it to be a concept album.  I knew that I wanted it to represent the aesthetic of the Cogs, the army of gods and anomalies that are the only beings in a distant future capable … Continue reading →

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Art, Entertainment, Escapism

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Shyft

In a dark and twisted world too much of pleasant and cheerful aesthetics is escapism. Last time I talked about happiness-seeking and how it relates to apathy toward societies.  As an artist, it’s only natural for me to stem from … Continue reading →

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The Time is Not Right For Happiness

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Shyft

Happiness, as a state of mind, is a pacifier.  For all practical purposes in an imperfect Universe, the words ‘happiness’ and ‘complacency’ are exactly synonymous. Idiot, via Old French via the Latin idiota, which came from Greek in the form … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on personal validation

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Shyft

  Reassuring our selves that others validate us is different from the active validation of others, though both phenomena depend heavily on our perception of other people.  Why?  Is it because we do not trust our memories?  Per haps it … Continue reading →

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