joshua chamberlain

Category: creativity

  • a masochistic urge to create

    I’ve been feeling stuck lately. I finished a screenplay at the end of October, just in time to submit to several different contests. I told myself I’d finish another screenplay by Christmas, in time to pitch the concept to a potential investor. Problem is, the words aren’t flowing the way…

  • brushes with nonexistence and performing vulnerability

    There are times I worry the things I say aren’t all that deep. This almost always stems from comparison of some kind, which is, of course, unhealthy. Comparison is the thief of joy, as the old saying goes. But in a late-stage capitalist hellscape like this one, comparing ourselves to…

  • what is art?

    I’ve always loved Seth Godin’s definition: “Art is a human act, a generous contribution, something that might not work, and it is intended to change the recipient for the better, often causing a connection to happen.” To me, this almost perfectly summarizes what constitutes art, the five key components being…

  • find yourself a “scenius”

    Austin Kleon doesn’t believe in the term “genius.” He makes the argument that no great work of art it born from isolation. “If you believe in the lone genius myth,” Kleon states in his book, Show Your Work, “creativity is an antisocial act, performed only by a few great figures–mostly…

  • hoarding

    I’m a hoarder, but probably not the way you think. I don’t hoard clothes or magazines or collectibles or senseless junk. I hoard the things I create. Let me explain. A few years back, while working at a theater company, the Artistic Director told me about a critical inflection point…

  • a good detective story

    Brian Koppelman recently had a great conversation with Lenny Kaye, famous as the guitarist for the Patti Smith Group. Kaye had a great little nugget to offer regarding an entire cultural scene functioning like an Agatha Christie-style detective story: To me, it’s a process and you usually have about five…

  • show your work

    I’ve always been a believe in Austin Kleon’s idea that you should show your work. Don’t just share the finished product, share the process of making it. Document every step. Invite people into the process. Have conversations. Therefore, that’s what I’m doing… I just started writing a screenplay for a…

  • peripheral opponents

    Every so often, I stumble into a show to live in, a story so powerful and immersive, it touches every corner of my life. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is the latest show I’ve let swallow my life whole. Let me begin by expressing tremendous gratitude for…

  • reset

    I’m notoriously bad at taking breaks. Over the years, I’ve developed the habit of swatting away my exhaustion. I push through. I persist, ignoring the cries of my body, my heart. I’ve been writing a lot. And I find myself tired. Wrung out. So I’m doing what I can to…

  • where’s the utopian vision?

    There’s something wholly human about Jennifer Egan. She’s a master of her craft, but humble. Well-spoken, but soft. Curious, but afraid. Any and every chance I get to hear speak, I listen with wrapt attention. She recently spoke with Dan Harris on his podcast, Ten Percent Happier. Their conversation covered…