joshua chamberlain

Category: television

  • “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…

  • “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…

  • life as a two-headed monster

    Almost ten years ago now, I had the chance to meet Alan Zweibel, one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. In a freeform Q&A with a circle of students, he talked about writing for television and his creative process. The thing that always stuck with me was his…

  • seven questions no one asked me

    Once again taking a page from Austin Kleon’s book, I really enjoyed reading and responding to this New York Times article, in which 75 artists were asked about how they spent the last year. Here are my own responses (even though no one asked me): 1. What’s one thing you…

  • keeping the main thing the main thing

    My roommate is an actor. He and I have had many a conversation about artistic work, the creative process, and maintaining personal integrity. One of his main tenants is “keep the main thing the main thing.” It’s easy to get distracted. For me as a writer, it’s easy to get…

  • Christoph Niemann on practice

    In his episode of Abstract: The Art of Design, Illustrator Christoph Niemann has this to say about showing up for work: “You have to practice and become better. Every athlete, every musician practices every day. Why should it be different for artists?” His Sunday Sketches are a perfect example.

  • the importance of wondering

    Here’s Marc Maron on what it’s like to forget: Sure, we have the entire Library of Alexandria in the palm of our hands and can get the answer to any question we have at a moment’s notice, but is this really a good thing? If we have all the answers,…

  • where’s the fun?

    I’ve been writing novels since I was fourteen. None of them have ever seen the light of day and I sincerely hope they never will. While I’ve always wanted to write books that people read, most of my early efforts had one goal: fun. As other kids were playing Xbox,…

  • where we come from

    In her episode of Abstract: The Art of Design, Es Devlin makes the claim that, “the systems and influences of one’s childhood are inescapable.” While peering down on a model of her hometown, she says, “My work is as much a reaction against this as it is continuing to perpetuate…

  • doors, not mirrors

    Fran Lebowitz makes an excellent point about reading in the final episode of the new Netflix series, Pretend It’s a City: Now people are always saying, “There are no books about people like me, I don’t see myself in the book,” […] A book isn’t supposed to be a mirror,…