Celebrating Unashamed Creativity At MotorEx
Create

Irrespective of your chosen craft; creativity is king.

I don’t care if you’re writing songs, photographing cats, painting surfboards, or building a unique car – to be truly satisfied with your creation it needs to be an honest reflection of who you are. The vehicles on display at a large show like Australia’s Meguiar’s MotorEx often blur the lines between modern motoring and modern art.

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Sure, not every build will please everyone, but isn’t that a good thing? Are we not constantly reminded that we’re all unique and beautiful snowflakes?

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Differences spark debate and provoke thought. For some reason, this resonated strongly with me at the time, so instead of focusing on the hero cars we’re growing used to seeing, I thought I’d focus on the wild, the wonderful and downright weird vehicles on display at the Melbourne Showgrounds recently.

Each of these motley creations whispered to me as I walked the gigantic MotorEx halls. Each offering hints towards the quirky nature of their owners, each was challenging me to try to categorize them. As an overall collection, they left me feeling somewhat empowered. It was reassuring to know that in a quiet garage somewhere, someone is building their guilty pleasure. Someone is exercising their total creative freedom.

Total freedom is something that artistic types spend a lot of time lamenting for, but when the opportunity arises it’s actually quite a daunting process to walk through.

You must be bold enough to set the rulebook on fire, or to at least toss it out of the driver’s window.

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Are you confident enough to walk blindly and navigate the unknown?

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Will you be bright enough to devise solutions to unexpected problems? Problems that usually surface at the least favorable moment possible.

Do you feel self-assured enough to let complete strangers peer deep into your mind and soul?

Can you stay motivated enough to see the project through to completion when ideas or resources aren’t flowing freely?

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Could you press on undeterred while nursing all of these insecurities, knowing the risk of failure is very real and always just on the horizon?

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To be entirely unrestrained and wholly accountable is a terrifying prospect, especially once you’ve factored in that at the end of it all there is no third-party or wall to hide behind if the project falls short.

But do we need public acceptance to deem a project a success? Does a stranger’s acceptance outweigh the pride of finishing a job ‘your way?’

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I should hope not.

Appreciate

The outcome of the creative process doesn’t always have to be pretty, and that’s just fine. Heck, some of my most memorable completed projects didn’t end up working at all. However, long after the immediate sting of disappointment fades away, I’ve been able to reflect positively on both the time spent working with friends or the solitude provided by a solo project.

Not to mention the new doors opened by skills acquired during these ‘failed’ creations.

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It is entirely possible that your newly crafted work of art may not satisfy the masses; it might not even live up your own lofty aspirations. But sometimes reinventing the wheel isn’t about finding a new wheel, it’s about finding yourself through the process.

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As cliché as it sounds, sometimes the journey outweighs the destination. Success can be any number of small moments that happen along the road to completion. Then again, success may only come when the final nut is tightened.

Remember, fortune favours the brave.

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Regardless of the result, the therapy of tinkering and the joy of honing a skill or the benefits of learning something brand new should not be underestimated. Appreciate those moments.

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And try to enjoy the work of other people for what it is. Remember, not every song was written for just you, nor is every vehicle built solely for somebody else’s tick of approval or social validation.

Matthew Everingham
Instagram: matthew_everingham
matt@mattheweveringham.com

Approval Not Required
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23 comments

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1

The sheer variety of builds and styles from Australia always blows me away, especially considering how small a population it has.
While many of those builds aren't to my taste the build quality is astounding

2

Was that a bulletproof wheel??

Author3
Matthew Everingham

On the red Mitsubishi Magna? I have no idea if it's bulletproof, magical or even safe to drive on.
It sure looked funky though.

4

Reinventing the wheel...

5

Blah blah blah.
Specs or it didn’t happen.

Author6
Matthew Everingham

Fair call.

7

epic!

8

All this beauty and then you have Ford free wifi booth, i can't remember checking my phone on any static or in-motion event. Cars days are doomed with the next generations, now i have no doubt that EVs are coming to destroy ICEs.

Author9
Matthew Everingham

Sorry what was that?
I had to stop reading half way to check my phone.

10

That was a spear directed to the center of my heart. i know that was a joke/sarcasm but it's a "statement" that i hear daily and it's upsetting me a lot.

Author11
Matthew Everingham

Sometimes comedy works best when it's painfully close to the truth. :(

12

Where's the radiator on that V-12? Did they manage to tuck it behind the front bumper somehow, or is it in the rear?

13

I was wondering the same thing. It looks like it's probably removed for show. You can see that connector in the front that HAS been connected to something. I figure they removed it so you can see more of the build.

14

Brilliant article with a quality message. I don't have to understand anyone else's build, I just need to understand it is important to them.

Author15
Matthew Everingham

This guy gets it! :)

16
Flabbergasted

America is obviously NOT the place to be right now. Australia’s economy is booming!!!

They’re just throwing fistfuls of cash at stupid people.

Is it possible to have a larger collection of garish, underwhelming cars that cost more than a house???

17
Aaron Brookes

OK, just so we get an understanding of where your coming from, what do you consider a good build?

Author18
Matthew Everingham

--->THE POINT <---








You are here.

I selected these cars because they don't really make sense, well not to me personally, but I can still appreciate both the quality of work behind them and the owners' commitment to building what THEY like how they like with no compromise to cater for public opinion.

19
Jordan Butters

Whoooooooosssh.

That was the message in this story you just heard, way, way overhead.

20
Flabbergasted

Admittedly, it was a bit harsh.

I have a bad habit of stupid-shaming. For that, I apologize...well, to the stupid people anyway.

That said, a gold plated toilet would make more sense than that dune buggy!!!
It’d cost less and be more functional to boot.

21

There is at least some small thing in every on of those cars that I could enjoy. Some are so over the top, but so well done. That V-12 and the chopper just killed. Even the half finished car were a small inspiration, since nothing is ever done. Maybe showing their cars will give a push to finish.

22
Flabbergasted

Admittedly, it was harsh.

I have a bad habit of stupid-shaming. For that, I apologize...well, at least to the stupid people.

That said, c’mon a gold-plated toilet makes more sense than that dune buggy!!!
It would cost a lot less...and be more functional to boot.

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23

Flabbergasted - You're so called "stupid-shaming" says more about you than your unwanted comments.

Personally I think you have it wrong, that dune buggy looks like a standout to me, almost like a mini McLaren (albeit comically large wheels)! If the owner dropped the height of the headlights the curvy front end would be an absolute star.

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