This morning, I committed to working on a project that scares me. It’s a story that isn’t mine to tell. It delves into a topic I’m by no means an expert in. It makes me nervous. It would probably get me “cancelled.” I’m writing it anyway. Bad things happen when we censor ourselves as weContinue reading “write it anyway”
Category Archives: creativity
one thing at a time
For a long time, I’ve suffered from a kind of creative ADHD. I think it’s caused by a variety of things: promiscuity of interest, a broad range of influences, having too many ideas all at once, and the unconscious fear of bringing something to completion. Currently, I’m tinkering with an idea for a novel (composedContinue reading “one thing at a time”
stuck
Austin Kleon recently posted a great interview with Paul Simon, where he tells Dick Cavett how he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” There are many things at play here (art as theft, input influencing output, accessing the unconscious), but the thing that speaks to me most is the idea of being “stuck.” “Everywhere I wentContinue reading “stuck”
portals to other places
For some reason, the concept of the portal has been on my mind lately. It could be the hypotrochoid set I bought at a thrift store recently, but it was also likely brought on by this interview with Jennifer Egan, in which she says, “reading is always about finding a portal into another world.” InContinue reading “portals to other places”
gorging on forbidden fruit
In this age of colossal cinematic crossovers (thing such as The Avengers or Godzilla vs. Kong), perhaps the one that beats all the others is Austin Kleon’s appearance on Andy J. Pizza’s Creative Pep Talk. In a conversation that ranges from setting creative rules for yourself to following your disgust, my favorite bit came asContinue reading “gorging on forbidden fruit”
Obama on cultural appropriation
I just finished listening to Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, with topics ranging from race and gender to the myth of the road to fatherhood. As far as podcasts go, it counts among my favorites. There are a million and one things that struck me,Continue reading “Obama on cultural appropriation”
the art of inversion
I had a conversation with some friends last night about inversion–the idea of taking something and flipping it on its head. Example: one of my college professors once gave a lecture on divorcing the signifier from the signified. He said the the class, “Green means…” and everyone replied “Go.” “Red means…” the professor said. “Stop,”Continue reading “the art of inversion”
the joy of not doing
A few years back, I decided to put myself on the hook and record music to send out with my Christmas cards. The first record came right after moving to California. I was alone in a strange city and only had my guitar to keep me company. The result was a few covers of songsContinue reading “the joy of not doing”
don’t save a thing
Being a human is about embracing contradiction. A while back, I wrote about saving everything. No matter who bad the work is going, it’s worth putting in a folder instead of dumping your garbage can. However, often when I’m writing, I’ll have an idea and think, “That’s good, I want to use it, but notContinue reading “don’t save a thing”
songs for myself
I always wanted to be in a band, but I was convinced it was impossible. I didn’t pick up a guitar until I was eighteen and wasn’t proficient enough to play with other people until I was twenty. By then, the one thing driving me get better was playing with the band at the EpiscopalContinue reading “songs for myself”
