joshua chamberlain

Category: creativity

  • “nobody wants authenticity”

    When discussing art or music, there’s always a lot of talk about authenticity, a word used to describe something that orbits the truth. The problem is, the word itself has been corrupted. Artists and creative people spend so much time chasing the idea of authenticity, they make the mistake of…

  • average

    When I was in high school, I brought home a “C” on a report card. My dad was livid. “It’s fine,” I said. “C means average.” This launched him into a tirade about being average. “Are you content to be average?” he bellowed. “Do you want an average life?” The…

  • diving deep

    Normally as I read a book, I’m thinking about how it works. I ask myself what the sentences are doing, what’s happening with the characters, how is the storyteller drawing me into the story and what are they trying to convey. I think it’s asking these questions that prevents me…

  • an itch you can’t scratch

    I’ve done a lot of growing in the last year. So much so, my life doesn’t seem to fit quite like it used to. I’m sure you know the feeling: that sensation of having an itch you can’t quite scratch everywhere at once, like a snake shedding its skin. As…

  • “I went down to the crossroads…”

    Yesterday, I watched a great documentary about Robert Johnson and myth about selling his soul at the crossroads. It’s been well documented that Johnson’s music became the foundation for modern blues and rock and roll. That said, it’s incredible to actually trace the inspiration back to its source. I’d never…

  • hack behavior

    I haven’t been showing up lately. Maybe you’ve noticed. I wrote a little while back about breaking my schedule. Problem is, when you break something, you usually have to put it back together. When I started blogging again, it became one of the first things I do with my day.…

  • bad ideas

    Ideas are easy, but letting go of them isn’t necessarily. You have have bad ideas, but more importantly, you have to let those bad ideas go. I spent eight years trying to write book once, only to realize I knew nothing about writing a book. I scrapped the idea and…

  • do it for you

    I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard, “Don’t try to write for the market. Don’t write just to get published or produced.” This isn’t bad advice, but it doesn’t go all the way. I still know plenty of people who create to win approval or validation or…

  • bad days

    Some days, I just feel bad. Even as it seems the world could be on the upswing, it’s often hard not to feel dread in the air. Making things helps.

  • walk your way into an idea

    Some of my most important creative realizations have occurred while out for a walk. In college, walking around campus, often with a good record or a solid mixtape loaded on my iPod, helped ease my mind. Not only did it offer some physical exercise, it also provided a bit of…