Don't Be a Picassole!

In this blistering solo rant, Mookie Spitz takes the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature and turns it into a mirror for every would-be artist, procrastinating perfectionist, and self-styled “creative” who talks more than they make. Trigger warning for your inner hack: this one hurts.

From Laszlo Krasznahorkai’s single-sentence novels to Picasso’s 50,000 pieces of relentless output, Mookie dismantles the myth of “someday” artistry — the fantasy that genius waits for perfect conditions. He drags the coffee-shop philosophers, the pandemic-era Zoom posers, and even his past self — the guy who mistook talking about art for doing it.

This 64th Bald and Bloviating episode is part confession, part sermon, part flamethrower. Mookie draws lines between the ease-poisoned world of AI art and the sweat-stained grind of real creation, between the sous-chef’s burn scars and the diner’s luxury, between heaven and hell as two rooms divided by one thin wall. The verdict? If you’re not bleeding for it, you’re probably bullshitting.

A Picasso...

• Works daily — even when uninspired, broke, or ignored.
• Creates out of compulsion, not validation.
• Finds joy in the process, not the applause.
• Welcomes discomfort as proof that something real is happening.
• Treats art like labor — a grind, a calling, a job you can’t quit.
• Doesn’t wait for “the right time” or “perfect idea.” They make time.
• Knows that meaning comes during the work, not before it. 

An Assho'...

• Talks about creating more than they actually create.
• Mistakes taste for talent, and intellect for output.
• Hides behind perfectionism — “It’s not ready yet.”
• Curates the appearance of artistry instead of doing the work.
• Thinks inspiration is earned by thinking, not doing.
• Quits when applause doesn’t come fast enough.
• Believes effort should be easy — that creation shouldn’t hurt.

Which are you?

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