Inspiring portable pep talk

Attention aspiring artists: you MUST buy a copy of this book. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. "Bullsh*t or Fertilizer," a portable pep talk written by Pierre Bennu, a self-described artist, painter, teacher, deejay, and filmmaker, is an amazingly succinct and well-written guide for self-supporting artists to get out there and make a name for themselves. Though some of the advice is evident, many times we need others to point out the obvious. "Bullsh*t" provides the reader with practical, step by step ways to get out there, do their craft, and make a living doing it. It doesn't matter what you do; Bennu just wants you to go out there and do it.\n"Bullsh*t or Fertilizer" begins with the leap: the point in your life when you decide to be an artist. I strongly agree with Bennu's sentiment that you are what you do. Unless you have a product from your craft, whatever it may be, you are your day job. Go out there and do what you love; plenty of people can and do every day. Bennu says the reader should not be afraid of failure. Even if people are unwilling to accept your art, whatever it may be, you had the courage to put it out there. Bennu's advice: "Buy a Superman T-shirt. Rock it."\nThus begins the second main point of "Bullsh*t:" you have to be confident in yourself and the work you produce. Nobody will buy what you make and sell if you don't believe in it yourself. Bennu believes the first step in changing the outcome of your work is changing your vocabulary. No longer should you say "I'm going to do something." Instead, Bennu says you should just do it. Instead of saying you're broke, say your funds are currently tied up in other investments. It's simply a different way of stating the same thing, but the difference is in the outlook. \n"Bullsh*t or Fertilizer" also provides the starving artist with some common sense. The book preaches that you should take care of yourself, live for yourself, and be happy with yourself. Bennu suggests avoiding fast food, and he has a humorous measure of fitness; if you can't get up and dance, you should have a burger without cheese. \nI found "Bullsh*t or Fertilizer" to be a common-sense guide to making it in this world. Though geared towards artists, it certainly can apply for business people, manual laborers, and everybody else who has a job and needs to make a living. Bennu preaches happiness: happiness with your life, what you make, and how you see yourself. "Bullsh*t" gives you all the common sense advice; we all know what Bennu is saying to us, but sometimes we need to be reminded. This book would make a great gift for a graduating senior, or anyone else, who is a little unsure of their role in the real world. "Bullsh*t" may give them the impetus to go out and rock their Superman T-shirts.