Tag: work
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Creativity is a fancy version of productivity
People confuse busyness with productivity. Answering emails all day is mostly a waste of time, as is instant messaging co-workers. Doing something — typing into little boxes all day — fulfills the human desire to feel useful. People also perceive what artists do is an unnecessary use of time. But creativity is a fancy version […]
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More than a job
The photographer’s job is to capture. They get a pass on intrusion despite a face of expressive flesh. So too does the scientist who uses their more elusive hands to dabble in a dangerous experiment. The maker needs no excuse to have skin in the game, as they should feel free to explore via an […]
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From seeing to believing
Obvious to you, not to others. It’s the human condition to see patterns but leave them to abstraction. Identifying the gaps is only the start. No one gains from keeping silent on the puzzle of opportunity. What occupies the rest of the grey space is doing the work. Creators play the dual role of keen […]
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The streak goes on
Writing can be a painful activity. The idea of thinking and starting from scratch every day frightens the resistance. But just as in exercise, the trick is in getting started. Knowing that we can remain uncharged by the underground voltage of curiosity and enthusiasm, we have to depend on a non-thinking routine. Showing up to […]
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Streaks
The artist never stops, continuing a streak of a thousand days. Each day, rain or shine, they either pop with energy or force it. Discipline is freedom; fulfillment is worth every penny. Consistency is not neutral. Bowing down to habit ensures the only possible outcome. The brevity of life requires a sense of urgency and […]
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Assume everything and nothing
We suffer from a surfeit of choice. An excess of options breeds indecision, the cruelest of frustrations. The result? We end up doing nothing at all. Perhaps inertia is the best solution in these dizzying times. Instead of forcing the issue, we let nature take its course. Yet, life doesn’t move unless we do. It […]
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Writing through sheets of ice
You bought the new notebook, snagged a new pen, and listened to a motivational podcast. You’re ready to do the work! But two things happen as you start: 1 – You freeze. The thoughts in your head never make it to the tip of the pen. Your brain trips up on its wiring of ideas. Warning! […]
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What comes next
We are always becoming, making inferences about our future. Often times, such guesses lead to mistakes. But error is the only way we can untangle the morass of uncertainty. Effort frees the mind from the nagging question of “what if?” “Imagine living your life without being afraid to take a risk and to explore life. […]
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The chorus of arrival
“The pen is the tongue of the mind,” wrote Horace. It scribes from experience and the imagination, ricocheting from one neuron to the next. Sometimes it takes years to write a lyric. The frustration of waiting on its arrival is the art of gathering string. We are always chewing over something and turning out blanks […]
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It’s the indecision that’s risky
In the absence of ideas, we’re lost floating at sea. Weighed down in idea debt, a lack of action can have the same debilitating effect. Inertia is the purported enemy. Just write the truest sentence already. What works better is facing fear and proceeding right into it. We keep our eyes on the prize and […]
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Underseen, often overlooked
Height, skin color, your shoes — People are always trying to prejudge each other’s possibilities in the context of their surroundings. But the old adage rings true: Never judge a book by its cover. The good news for the last pick in the draft is that there’s only upside. For one, underdog status builds up […]
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Why you should schedule nothing (sometimes)
We live and die by our to-do lists. From priorities, daily activities, to short and long-term goals, the to-do list steers our purpose and directs our attention. But then we get distracted. We lose motivation. We gravitate toward doing the other things that grab our immediate interest. These miscellaneous tasks — scrolling Instagram for instance […]