Category: Thoughts

Sometimes, it’s best to just step back. Take the longest break, and the deepest breath.

The world will be there. It’s waiting for you.

What you need is to get more in touch with who you are, and what you actually want to be doing.

It can be a creativity killer. Instead of obsessing over every detail, allow yourself to work freely.

Revising comes later.

To start, just let the ideas flow.

Some years ago I read the book The Wander Society by Kerri Smith.

It was at a time when I needed inspiration, as we all do from time to time

And what is suggests is to walk out the door.

The world is full of hidden wonders. Train yourself to notice the small things that others might miss.

“Now I will do nothing but listen.” – Walt Whitman

Don’t accept things at face value. They are rarely so easy.

Question the world around you and delve deeper into topics that pique your curiosity. Learn what you can and when you can.

We’re never aware of the depth of our own ignorance.

This little gem can literally come from anywhere. When you’re stuck, take a break.

Take a walk.

Take a breath.

Let inspiration find you. Which it will, if you give yourself time to listen.

We maintain an extraordinary amount of beliefs based on the Industrial Revolution. How work should be done. What capitalism looks like. How to be productive.

We’ve moved past when that is a reasonable comparison not once, not twice, but at least three times.

First, with assembly systems. Thank you Mr. Ford. Next, the growth of knowledge work. This was a move away from physical products and more into services and creation. Marketing, entertainment, and even education underwent changes.

How do you measure how productive a marketer is? It isn’t by the number of words that could be put into press. And a reasonably well-thought-out campaign could equal an astronomical return, though maybe took two days to develop.

And now, we’re in the post-knowledge-work economy. What it could look like is still shaping up.

Been collaborating on a low-budget film, and it’s interesting to watch creatives problem-solve with limited resources.

It seems that limitations can spark new ideas.

Maybe try to set creative constraints in your own work. You could try a new artistic medium altogether, or limit the the scope of the project.

The results may surprise you.

When you’re making something, it doesn’t have to better than everything else on the market.

It just needs to find the audience that likes it more than they alternatives.

It’s your job to make sure it’s good enough that you’d enjoy it.

I’ve mentioned before refiling the well What this means is, recharge!

Explore new things. Visit museums, read outside your usual genre, or take a class on something you find interesting.

See where it takes you.

Even now, in my adulthood, I’m amazed at how much I learn each and every day.

What I’ve realized is that once you stop learning, you’ve stopped growing.