Category: life
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notes taken during a creative failure in progress
You get to the best parts of yourself on accident. Your job as an artist is to orchestrate those accidents. After all, it’s always better when your unconscious does the work.
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stepping through the door
While it could certainly be described as pretentious, narcissistic, or even masturbatory, the Netflix documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond really shook me. Featuring unreleased behind-the-scenes footage, the documentary explores Jim Carey’s process of becoming Andy Kaufman for the 1999 film, Man on the Moon. While recounting his experience,…
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happiness is not bullshit
I was struck by a brief exchange in Ann Lamott’s episode of The Midnight Gospel, which quickly dispels the myth of the tortured artist. “I felt terror that if I stopped drinking, I would never write again,” Lamott muses. “Because I needed the misery. Because I needed that edge. And…
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an unstoppable force and an immovable object
Debbie Millman knows how to conduct an interview. Ai Weiwei knows how to navigate interrogation. Their pairing on a recent episode of Design Matters made for a few golden moments: Millman: I was wondering if you have memories of the first time that you remember being creative. WeiWei: I never…
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lessons from Mike Nichols
I finally finished reading Mark Harris’s biography, Mike Nichols: A Life. A few takeaways: “I passionately believe that in art, certainly in theater, there are only two questions…The first question is: ‘What is this, really, when it happens in life?’ not what is the accepted convention…but what is it really…
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a question worth asking
What does it look like when you really try at something? Not the half-hearted attempt used to prove something to someone. I’m talking about the balls-to-the-wall, pull-out-the-stops, go-for-broke effort. What does that look like for you?
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listening to listen
It seems like most of the time, when I listen to a podcast, it’s to get something out of it. I’m on the hunt for tidbits of creative advice, insight into a craft, or equipment for living life in these trying times. Rarely do I listen just to listen. Marc…
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we wear the mask
It’s both chilling and appropriate that Facebook announced its name change and shift in business the week of Halloween. ‘Tis the season for all the mischief that accompanies wearing a mask. And Facebook has always been in the business of mask-making. It’s fair to say that most of us on…
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tonight and tomorrow
The other day, I had a conversation with a friend about the future. I told him how for so long, I’ve labored under the delusion that perhaps the most selfless act of love to be performed for a child is preventing them from ever existing. This is a belief I’d…
joshua chamberlain 