The Art Collective

 You are in control of your own destiny. It's not a predetermined path that the universe has planned out for you since the day of your birth but it is a choice that you continually make every second of every day. However, the universe does not ignore you. The universe is made up of massive amounts of energy and you take part in it. I'm a firm believer in you get back what you put out. So good things tend to come back to those people who are constantly putting out positive energy into the universe. So take control of your destiny. Even when you feel like your life isn't in your own hands, just put out that positive energy and see what happens. I'm willing to bet that the universe will send a little help your way when you least expect it. It might not take the form of what you want but you can believe it'll be exactly what you need.....

 Through the darkest days and the coldest nights, She makes me happy to be alive. Just like a hot knife through butter, She cuts through even my strongest defenses, breaks down my walls, and makes me weak with her touch. And I am not afraid.....

 This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends, they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything, they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And I hate to say it, most of them... actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soulmate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that counts for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will? So keep your head high, ke...

I was browsing DeviantArt today and came across a surreal artist and I want to show you some of my favorite pieces of theirs with you all. They go by lilithraven28 on DeviantArt.  If you’re on DeviantArt, be sure to follow them and show them some love and to share this post. Blog | Facebook | Group  | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

 To my lovely Creatures... There is in me a darkness that, by darkness challenged, will rise up and have it's way. I have committed some memorable ruination. I have decayed the ground beneath my feet with every negative step that I took. My screams for help fell upon deaf ears. The real me was buried alive long ago. Everything I have let go of had claw marks covering them. I'm radioactive, attracting some by my bright glow yet slowly poisoning most around me. I've built the strongest of walls for protection only to become a prisoner of my own emotions. I carried salt for the wounded and vinegar to offer the thirsty. I hurt you and convinced you that you were to blame. I dipped my hands in holy water only to wash off the blood. I confessed my sins only to clear my slate to make room for more. I've made a reservation at the best table in Hell for the innocent people that I know. I've lost my humanity. I've been State property. I've sacrificed my freedom. I...

 Is there more pain involved in the breaking of a heart or in the process of trying to repair it? The initial pain is instant and fast, but the realization in knowing that the future is unknown and now more empty can be more devastating than any of the pain that has come before...

 There's a natural law of karma that vindictive people, who go out of their way to hurt others, will end up broke and alone. Life is about being a versatile person and being understanding in all realms of life. I may not remember every word verbatim, but I've never forgotten a lesson. I don't want to say a punitive word, or use my writing as a vendetta. The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril... This will be my legacy, and I leave it in the hands of all of you that my words may reach. The ones who never lost faith in me, even when I lost it for myself.....

 Sometimes I still let my inner child out to play, until he throws a tantrum, then I put him in the corner of my mind to pout. The next sinister plot will have him in a very long time out. I've sent the previous version of me to the gallows. While I watched those feet swing to and fro, I upgraded my software to handle the robotic implementation of my brain, so now I'm aware of the new reality I find myself in. I see now that I am no longer the abandoned arthropod, weaving my wicked webs from hosts to victims. I am aware. I am alive. I have been reborn. From the fiery pits of a ceaseless existence to a beacon of light to guide those lost souls to come after me, I will show you the way... I have walked on the path of the dead, pulled myself from the brink, and am now allowed to continue my journey to show you that anything can be done.....

 Good evening my lovely creatures, The night draws ever closer, but don't forget to enjoy the day that is upon you..... I may not be who I want to be yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't get there. I might not win every game that I play, but I never feel like I want to change my team. I don't always hear opportunity knock, but I don't hesitate to build a door anyway. I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination..... Today can be the day you want it to be. It may require of you just a slight adjustment but without the struggle, there's no appreciation. So do what you have to do, I'll be right here if you need me.....

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come to you, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. True story.....

 I had a reputation that I can't deny, but what you can't deny is my will to live, my ability to thrive, my passion and my drive. Stack the deck against me, put my back to the wall, spit dirt on my name. It doesn't matter. At the end of it all, I will succeed. 

 Good evening, my Beautiful disasters.  I have made all of you modernized technological archeologists. I am but a man... Man is a creature who walks in two worlds and traces upon the walls of his cave the wonders and the nightmare experiences of his pilgrimage. Each status that I post is but an etch on my wall. A piece of my history. Here for you to stumble across with no intention or interest for most of you, but for some, the special few, my lovely creatures, you take a moment to read the writing on the wall and you learn something. It reaches you in different ways. It affects you. It moves you, for better or worse. And if you really knew me, you would know that if I can pull myself out of the fires that have been my existence, and that there are no limits to what you can do..... It's late, tomorrow is upon us. Rest easy. When the Sun rises, we go to war. We will battle our former selves and be better than we've ever been. So sleep now, for when you wake, you will hear the c...

 Sometimes I find myself in a panic, like a moth lost in a desolate place. Just searching for that peaceful trance of the lonely light that guides me. I feel corrupt by the cold grip of the night, eagerly awaiting the warmth of the new day sun to show me the path the Universe has laid out for me. With each step I take, my fears and worries fall behind me like my shadow, only to dissipate in the loving glow of solar rays... And then I remember all those lost souls that will come after me, and I find my strength again. And when you are surrounded by the darkness and feel so alone, just put your arm out and you will find your hand in mine and together we will find the light.....

 When your time comes to die, don't be like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home. The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.....

 Sometimes the hardest thing that people have to do in life is process information that falls our way. What we do with that information is what defines us.....

 So tell me what it is that you're thinking, because I'm thinking that we should jump into your ocean. C'mon girl, this ship is sinking... Trust your pilot. Respect your Monkey.....

 Sometimes in our lives, our judgment gets clouded, our view of the Universe is foggy. You have to know that you can focus yourself and see through the mist that is the chaos in our surroundings. You need to just acclimate yourself and continue on your journey, no matter how hard each obstacle may seem. You are the master of Destiny. Be the Captain of your ship. Own your Soul and be the you that you've always wanted to be. I'll see you when you get there.....

 Creativity is the tonic, the relief for pain. It's usually a big kind of vent of frustration or anger or sadness that puts me in the right frame of mind to write. It's such a cliche to say that artists write when they're down, but it's true for me. It's a relief to get out what's eating away at my heart or my soul or my head. So be creative today and find relief from whatever demons are surrounding you.....

 To my beautiful Disasters... All men should have a drop of treason in their veins, as to be able to stand strongly against their own personal demons. The treason of which I stand convicted loses all its guilt, has been taken as a duty, and will be remembered as a sacrifice. I do this for me. I hope that it reaches you. We must all suffer one of two things, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment, which is inevitable. But to become discouraged, there's a choice to make. Never be discouraged. Have no expectations, lack disappointment. As you go through the emotions that we have, hostility is not from disappointment, bitterness, unforgiveness, all of these are attacks from an outside source we think we want or need in our lives or deem better than ourselves. The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire, the size of your dream, and how you handle disappointment along the way. If you allow anyone the power to disappoint you or to take away...