creativity – Page 3 – joshua chamberlain

back to the well

I’ve always been fascinated with the art of playing politics. I’m not talking the madness going on in Washington at the moment so much as the shrewd tactics used to maneuver against competitio; things like the classic Mad Men episode, “The Chrysanthemum and The Sword.” This of course had led me to read a varietyContinue reading “back to the well”

“when did life get so real?”

Some of the defining moments of my life took place almost exactly ten years ago. It’s amazing how this both feels like yesterday and a million years ago at once. I was nineteen and was stupid, but had no idea how stupid I was. I knew so little and was so confident as a result.Continue reading ““when did life get so real?””

you are not replaceable

You are not a cog and this is not a machine. If you’re doing the work in a meaningful way, in a way that’s of service, there’s not anyone else who can do what you do, the way you do it.

ditching the paywall

I recently removed my fiction on Medium from behind the paywall. When I posted these stories originally, I thought, “Amazing! I can get paid for my writing!” In two years, I’ve made $4.44. Not exactly a windfall. Seth Godin defines art as “a human act, a generous contribution, something that might not work, and itContinue reading “ditching the paywall”

standing out

The easiest way to stand out in a crowd? Don’t stand in the crowd.

for sale

In a recent interview on The Hollywood Report’s Awards Chatter, Fran Lebowitz has a few things to say about the idea of “selling out” as a writer: “No one pays you for no reason. They’re buying something…What do you think “sell” means? Sell means you don’t own it anymore. It’s like, you sell your house,Continue reading “for sale”

sharing what you have

I just published two new stories on my Medium page, where I keep all my fiction. One is the story of two childhood friends who suffer the pains of outgrowing one another and the other the story of a suburban teenager who learns the housewife he pines for isn’t what she seems. Neither of theseContinue reading “sharing what you have”

a really good bucket

In the process of listening to interviews with Jennifer Egan and Elizabeth Strout, I’ve been pondering the roll of the unconscious in writing and art making. Both Strout and Egan talk about how writing flows from someplace beyond the conscious mind. Speaking about her 2019 novel, Olive, Again, Strout says the famous character appeared toContinue reading “a really good bucket”

let your unconscious do the work

I’ve been trying to take a page from Jennifer Egan’s book lately and allow my unconscious do the work. This means writing by hand, following characters where they want to go. I wrote a scene this morning I thought was going to end with a character forcing their way onstage to perform at a bar.Continue reading “let your unconscious do the work”

somewhere to be terrible

I’ve been dabbling with collages for a few years now. It helps me clear my head and express what I can’t with words. But somewhere down the line, I got stuck. The process of cutting and pasting became too important. I’d wind up crushing a finished collage under the weight of what I expected itContinue reading “somewhere to be terrible”