Ev BogueI've recently become obsessed with J.F.
He's someone who creates an insane amount of work, while doing everything. I create an insane amount of work, but it's nothing compared to what this guy does. He seems to walk the line between creativity and insanity. There's no difference between his life and his career. He's appears to be either unstoppable or completely unstable.
I believe that by studying completely insane people who are wildly successful, we can learn a lot. This is why I decided to break down J.F.'s success into 5 simple bullet points. That way we can pretend to be like him by doing things he does, and in the process perhaps we'll end up being 1/5th as insanely successful as he is at being him.
Here are the 5 defining characteristics that make J.F. way more successful than you and I:
These are all based off of the piece that S.A. did on J.F. in May of last year for New York Magazine -- that I just read now -- "Is J.F. for Real?".
S.A. and I did not know each other personally at New York Magazine, we did pass in the halls at times as we were getting lots of things done.
J.F. and I did not know each other personally at NYU, but we did pass each other on 2nd Avenue once at 1am years ago.
1. He's keenly aware that he's going to die.
"Little J. burst into tears. He was inconsolable. Eventually, he managed to choke out, between sobs, 'But I don't want to die! I have so much to do!'"
Death is a powerful motivator. Many people go about life pretending like they're going to live forever. Well, you're not. You're going to die. Looking at yourself in the mirror and whispering the words: "you're going to die, get off your ass and make some work." is a powerful way to do lots of things with your life. If you aren't already aware that you're going to die, maybe it's time to ask yourself that question.
Don't create a bucket list, instead actually do things.
2. He has a personal assistant who feeds him.
"M., a former UCLA classmate of J.F.'s, manages his minute-to-minute existence: makes sure he wakes up, gets dressed, eats. 'I guarantee you he would not eat unless I fed him,' she says."
I'm constantly forgetting to eat, and so is J.F. apparently. When I don't eat, I end up being unproductive and grumpy. Sometimes I start crying and I'm not sure why. This is because highly active people like J.F. burn through calories like crazy while they're jumping around, drinking coffee, and generally getting important things done.
3. His sexuality is an open question.
"Many people are obsessed -- and J.F. has given them ample reason to be -- with the question of whether he's gay or straight."
We'd all do well to walk the gender line a little closer than we do. Do you feel gayer than you are? Well, act that way. It'll make you more successful like J.F. Just don't ever answer the question if you're asked flat out whether you make out with girls or boys. Are you pansexual or polyamorous? Still no answer. Let everyone talk about it at the dining room table, it'll generate hype for your immersive career.
Would I have a threesome with J.F. and a steaming hot not-to-be-named here beautiful woman? I can't answer that.
4. He knows you can't pick a career anymore.
You can't just be an actor anymore, or a blogger for that matter. You have to be your life, and your life needs to broadcast across all mediums. We're living in the age of immersion. We're all performance artists to some extent, performing our lives for the world. Do you want to act in a movie, direct a movie, write a book, write a movie, and get four graduate degrees all at the same time? Well, that's what it takes to be successful now. You better hire someone to feed you while you're doing all of that.
5. Lots of caffeine and pushing publish.
I'm cracked out on Boulder Teahouse chai right now, so I'm just going to publish this even though I never write about celebrities.
J.F. doesn't care what you think about him, he doesn't care whether you think he's gay or straight. He doesn't care if you think he's a bombing artist or an amateur artist. He simply pushes publish on everything he does, regardless of what someone's going to think about it. Does that mean that sometimes he releases something that isn't perfect? Hell yes.
Meanwhile, his assistant is getting him another quad-shot latte and a sandwich. Here, eat this J., before you pass out.
Let's summarize: You're going to die. Have someone feed you. Am I gay? Maybe. Immersion is the only medium. Caffeine and pressing the publish button no matter how gross.