Cool people like cool things, which is why we asked Lucien Smith to share a taste of his taste on Perfectly Imperfect.

Lucien Smith is a New York-based artist and filmmaker. His abstract art, such the Rain Paintings, earned him huge acclaim in the auction world by the time he was 25, but these days he lives way out in Montauk to avoid the gallery world and spend most of his time working on Serving the People (STP), a nonprofit organization that’s building “the future of creativity, collaboration, and communication”. He’s also the Director of Cultural Innovation at a Web 3 art company called Lobus and tells me that he’s writing a film. Lucien is one of the most important artists and thinkers of our time, and lucky for us, he’s here to share a taste of his taste.

Without further ado

Lucien Smith (instagram, twitter)

🎞 My Film List

I made a film list in chronological order of all the movies I’ve seen over the years and recommend to watch during quarantine. Kanye liked it. https://stp.world/2020/03/15/movies-to-watch-while-being-quarantined/

My personal favorite movies Fight Club, Boogie Nights, Kids, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Friday, Being John Malkovich, and Grant Hyun’s Koreatown ;).

☺️ Favorite Quote

"I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

❓Learn Coding

Everyone tells you when you’re young to learn a language. I recommend you learn a coding language. Get a Github and start building. Codeacademy is a good app to learn, or youtube like Harvard’s CS50 lectures — my buddy I met on Urbit Ankit showed me https://www.youtube.com/c/cs50.

🎨 Make something

Grab some paper or cardboard use whatever you have and just make something. Draw, collage, sculpture, video, whatever. Don’t take it too seriously. See how you feel afterwards.

🍓A & N Fruit Store

I go here religiously. I call it the watering hole of “dimes square” my go to is a large honeydew melon/lychee smoothie. 25 Canal St, New York, NY 10002 great on a hot day. be nice to them and the cat.

🎙 Discord

Ever since I started using discord I have have noticed I spend less time on soul sucking apps like instagram. I have real conversations and feel connected to people in a much healthier way than looking at superficial content that makes me depressed. If you don’t know what servers to join, try ours stp’s https://discord.gg/rfjrbfBnv6.

🚲 Go for a ride

I spend all day in the office, and since i live in the same building as my office i spend all day inside. I love being in there because I can literally control who i see and who i don’t, but occasionally i get cabin fever and need to go outside. I usually take my bike out. A bicycle is the life hack of NYC. If you don’t have one get a citi bike. ride around the city, put on some headphones. Most relaxing way to get some air and see the city. Late afternoons are the best.

🇬🇧 British Television

My girlfriend put me onto this . British Baking Show, made me find a new love for the UK. I call it “British”. Best show, personalities, and if you love food as much as I do its the best. Also Love Island in a crazy trash way i’m really down for it.

📕 Wikipedia

Literally the greatest thing ever made. Aaron Shwartz is my higher power. Watch the film on him “The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz”.

Follow Lucien on Instagram and Twitter

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