MAÔ – Page 119 – Michael's Musings

the Artist’s Way

November 5, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Pathfinding

I often talk about my path – my way – which started towards the end of 2015. But it didn’t start there. That was a defining moment, but there were others before.

The story I like to tell, though, is sitting down for coffee with an insurance guy. A former insurance guy. He had just quit his job so that he could work for an art gallery. He had contacted my boss and had a lunch meeting with him. He also scheduled time to speak with me.

I asked him what had brought about the change. He said he started reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I hadn’t heard of it. Over coffee I decided to buy a copy. I bought it used on eBay… I was saving up for a wedding. Another story.

taw

And then I began…

“For most of us, the idea that the creator encourages creativity is a radical thought.”

I started writing then. Every morning. Four months is all it took for the unraveling to start. I was stripping my life down to its core. Many things were wrong. Off. It was traumatic, and it was cathartic. And it was what I need, whether or not I wanted to admit it.

Things happen that are inexplicable. That don’t seem to make sense. A book enters your life and does magical things. Like it was supposed to…

Be open to those possibilities. Be open to everyday magic, regardless of how wu-wu that sounds.

Finding inspiration

November 4, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Art

Something I heard long ago was about a songwriter who would frequently hear tunes while driving. Like, original tunes, only in the mind. And it was frustrating, because while driving it’s hard to write down music (this was before cell phones and inexpensive voice recorders, but you get the idea).

The moral was, train your inspiration to come when you’re ready for it. Not when it’s convenient for your muse.

Somewhere in Stephen King’s On Writing, or perhaps in one of the interviews he’s given about writing, he says that the way he writes is to start at the same time every morning, write the same number of hours, take the same breaks. His inspiration comes during that time.

Certainly he may get ideas while showering, or taking out the trash. Notebooks and recorders are handy in that way. But mostly he puts ideas to paper during that time when he’s set down to write.

Thankfully, we are never lacking in ideas. Good, bad, indifferent, we think things up every day. Many aren’t original. Some are. Of the original, many are terrible. Some aren’t.

As Seth Godin says, ““If you put enough bad ideas into the world, sooner or later your brain will wake up, and good ideas will come.”

I thought of this because as I was waking up two mornings ago, I heard a whole song. An original song. I got as much of it down as I could, as I was just waking up and fumbling with the recorder. I unfortunately haven’t trained my muse in the same way.

Hidden costs

November 3, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Advice

We’re aware of how much something costs. But what we forget about are things like what has to be given up to purchase, or what space will be taken up by the purchase, or transportation costs, and a great deal many other things.

It’s impossible to foresee every opportunity cost to an item, but there are major ones we should be mindful of.

How many hours of work does this one purchase equal?
If we didn’t purchase, what would we do with this money?
What purpose is this purchase serving?

That last one is where hidden costs can really creep up. Is it a necessity? Or a want? Or just frivolous spending. Think about it, before spending your hard-earned money.

Go and do

November 2, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Travel

The world is vast, and the corners we carve out for ourselves are so small.

Go see, do, taste, and try. Find the places that speak to you. That make your heart sing.

meet someone new, or show your places to your loved ones. But do not sit quiet and contented in one spot – not until you’ve tried places outside of your comfort zone.

Weekly Rundown

November 1, 2019November 26, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Social, Writing

Yes, I think that has stuck. I like it. It’s kind of like my weekly check-in, but with less introspection. Just things that have caught my attention.

What I’m reading: Monsters Among Us: An Exploration of Otherworldly Bigfoots, Wolfmen, Portals, Phantoms, and Odd Phenomena by Linda S. Godfrey. I wanted to get one more seasonal read in before November. Well, what to say. Do you believe in spirit creatures, possessions, skin walkers, UFOs, or otherworldly portals? Or not? Either way, an interesting book broken down in case studies.

Additionally, if you check out the @WerewolfReports bot on Twitter, you can keep updated on odd werewolf sightings… If you believe in that kind of thing.

What I’m listening to: Lore, from Aaron Mahnke. Specifically the Trick or Treat episodes from 2016 and 2017. But, listen to whatever you feel like. Or, watch the video series on Amazon Prime Video!

What I’m spending time with: Switching over my recording from Audacity to GarageBand. I host a radio show twice a week, which is prerecorded and aired on 107.1 WZEA. Until recently I had used Audacity. However, since updating the MacBook, my microphones don’t work for recording. There’s a cumbersome workaround, but I’d rather have a simple time making my episodes. So I’ve been looking at the GarageBand recording platform. It seems that there used to be a Podcast recording option, since removed, but it works fairly well. I’ll give it a try, and either continue on it, or switch back when the new update for Audacity comes out.

Other things of interest this week:

This article from Vice on what the absence of humanity would look like on Earth. It’s something similar to what I’ve been contemplating, like in Because one day we die. What do we individually leave behind? And, what as a species will be left?
Seth Godin on his late friend Lionel Poilane, who owned a bakery in Paris, Poilane’s daughter Apollonia’s new book.
Looking to the future, my friend and I are planning a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Doubtful it will be next year, because I’m looking to do some fun work over the summer, prime hiking time. So the possible start is March 18, 2021. We’ll see how our plans go between now and then.
Maria Popova on Thirteen Years of Brain Pickings. A great website, with great weekly emails.
Another listen: Marketplace’s Conversations from the Corner Office with Walking Dead Content Director Scott Gimple.

Sugar Rush

October 31, 2019December 8, 2021 by MAÔ, posted in Holidays, Writing

Halloween. The candy is out, and the houses are decorated with pumpkins, cobwebs, and other scary paraphernalia.

I do love this time of year. It’s October, and that’s a great time of year for me. Busy. But great.

As you unwrap the candies and snack away, waiting for trick-or-treaters, or watch scary movies to celebrate, I hope you remember what it was like when you were young. When monsters were real, and magic lurked behind everything you didn’t understand.

I think there’s joy in living life that way, which is why we get to be envious of youth.

Happy Halloween.

Pursuit

October 29, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Mountain

It’s easy to be distracted. To fall off the bandwagon. Because pursuit is hard work.

It’s hard to maintain laser focus. To devote precious time to a specific activity.

We can’t be sure it’ll pan out. Sometimes we jump ship before reaching the goal, just because it’s difficult.

But imagine what finishing would look like. That’s what successful people do. They see it through to fruition.

Yes, sometimes they too will fail. Hard. Public, epic fails that make everyone cringe.

But not completing the pursuit is the only sure way to not succeed. Yes, you may not fail. You just won’t be…

In fact, the true successes are those who have doggedly pursued their interest in spite of failure.

Art, democratized

October 28, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Art

The process and product of art is democratized, thanks in large part to the internet. While industrialized creative endeavors fought against the innovations, the movement has progressed regardless.

Now it’s easier than ever to find your audience, identify common needs, and create a tribe. The most important thing, then, is to start.

Because one day we die

October 27, 2019 by MAÔ, posted in Work

There are no definitives. No clear rule for how many breaths one human body will take. But one day, there will be no more breaths. What will you leave behind?