Writing
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The smell, the smell
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1 min read
The smell went right into the brain, bypassing all the cartilage and hitting straight to the neuronal wires. The eyes and ears no way could imagine the deep interconnectedness of a waft that struck memory with such venom. Certain smells melt into wavelengths to a world we once knew, pinning the once visible and invisible…
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Outside the training data
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1 min read
We chase the most interesting type of bullshit. The imagination lights up like a Christmas tree when the immediate world dissipates around us, and the imaginary takes the primary view. Listen: taking revenge against reality pays dividends. That is to say, the thoughts tend to come more easily, and the creativity more fun when there’s…
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In the spell of imagination
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1 min read
To remain in the spell, unmoored from the compass of time and place. The inner narrative reverberates off our surroundings. We become how we see, think, and respond. The mind is always in the process of masticating the materials to prepare the imagination for lift-off. Moon shots take their shape at the precipice of unfettered…
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Writing takes guts
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2 min read
Writing is a bitch. It takes routine, grit, and lots of induced anxiety to show up every day and put pen for paper. There’s a reason few do it: it’s depressing. But for those who do, like runners, consistency means everything. Putting words together is like jogging the brain; working on prose keeps the artist…
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Thinking things through
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2 min read
What we’re thinking of right now often feels of the utmost importance. Negative thoughts, in particular, turn passive onlookers into nervous inward-facing participants. The face twitch, lip biting, short breaths, full-bodied elsewhereness — says it all. The nerves light up like a Christmas tree, flaring internally on a rollercoaster of emotions. The brain gets stuck…
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Raging against the machine (us)
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2 min read
Writing is to rage against the machine, not the powers that be. It’s a practice that hollows out the anxieties within. The machine is us, and the blank page is the battlefield of emotion. Writing is a meditative process, a chance to pause and self-distance from the everyday. Prose allows us to exhaustively test society’s…
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Double or nothing
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1 min read
The best art deserves the long look, just as the best books earn a re-read. The second our surroundings pull us out of a desultory scan and compel interpretation, we learn twice as much. Pausing (and thinking deeply) is integral to the learning process. Disfluency extends the hesitation and augments the meaning. We’re not all vacuum cleaners.…
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Despite all the rage
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2 min read
Expression isn’t always vocal. It bleeds inexorably into other avenues of creativity. Take the painter, for instance. Some prefer to let the paintbrush and canvass do all the talking. The same actionable output can be said for writers, cartoonists, coders, architects, athletes, etc. Life often manifests itself in a piece of art. All one’s optimism…
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For work’s sake
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1 min read
The consistency of the paint. Showing up and doing it, again and again, is not a magic trick. It’s a routine. It’s the challenge of no challenge – the rawness of pure practice. The result rarely smothers in success. The only guarantee is stressed eyes, heart, face oil, and a dirty shirt. But there is…
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Relaxed while working
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1 min read
The synchronicities tend to happen in our most relaxed moments, not when we’re stressing out about work or life. Bothersome thoughts place a block on our ability to connect disparate ideas. So too does a tense face. Anxiety undermines attention, and with it, additional perspective. Our capacity to retain information expands upon the pace of…
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Creativity is a fancy version of productivity
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1 min read
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…