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The age of Sweat Shop Arts.   Is art a distant parallel to commercialism? What defines success? Turn on commercial radio and you are presented with the same cookie cutter mould. Music de le Big Mac is fed to masses as their daily meal, whilst ignoring and shunning the artistic integrity of so many.   I often receive comments from some online listeners saying “if only you did this to your sound you would be more successful” often backing their statement with music that is already cliché. They act with authority and assertion like they are Simon Cowell reincarnated, yet often lacking musical ability themselves.   Instead of marvelling at others gifts and abilities, instead - it’s like telling a world class chef how to cook, or a world class athlete how to play. I often think we have become the Netflix passive society who finds it easier to criticize rather than ponder on the uniqueness of things.   Success is driven by money, brushing integrity aside for the all

I had a friend email me a very lengthy update on his life, the achievements and failures summed up for 2016. He is one of those friends I'd known since childhood. So I wrote a lengthy email back saying: "I appreciate the time it took for you to write, so I thought I would return by writing a novel of my own, as a sign of me taking my time to write to an old friend. I know I've been quite slack of late catching up with some quality time with old buddies, but these days of adulthood it seems we are all prioritizing other matters in life like careers, creating nests, and goals. Firstly, I am proud of your recent endeavours... The state of the economy is unsettling, with manufacturing plants being sent to cheaper labour offshores, to unethical business mantra and shady business ongoings (which reminded me when you mentioned MR X doing the runner midjob, or investors stealing from you that sort of thing), to job cuts. You've always seemed passionat