Category: Thoughts

In a recent OZY newsletter, there was concern that the age of television programming we’re currently living in may soon come to an end.

“According to Variety Intelligence Platform’s media analyst Tyler Aquilina, 2023 might see the beginning of the end for this era.

‘Considering the economic pressure that the entertainment industry is facing right now, there’s definitely going to be some changes in terms of how much these companies spend and what they spend their money on,’ explains Aquilina. ‘So we may see a decline in the number of original scripted series and a shift towards less expensive content.’

This means that, in the ensuing years, and possibly even months, streamers are going to focus more on reality shows and live sports, which draw huge numbers of viewers but are much cheaper to make than fantasy blockbusters like Stranger Things, House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings.”

While it’s hard to argue that the economics of filmmaking have been altered drastically in recent years, there is still a viewing public that largely will dictate what shows get made and/or renewed.

I suppose it seems possible that there will be a larger offering of reality shows and cheaper-to-make content, but I’d hold off on declaring the death of quality programming, at least for the time being.

I keep thinking about the amount of time that daily activities take. From the five or fewer minutes to make the bed each morning to the potentially hours-long activities such as deep cleaning, grocery shopping, or cooking. Sometimes it’s simply overwhelming, and there are only so many hours in a day.

Time and again I come to the realization that the systemization of your life makes the most productive choice. Sure, it may not be the sexiest, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants option, but it really does give you the ability to check things off. And do so efficiently.

That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t leave room for inspiration to strike. In fact, I believe that you should include time in your day to do nothing. Just sit and be. Because it’s in those moments when your mind is wandering that the real magic can happen.

In taking my mindful day of enjoyment yesterday, I was reminded of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Again. One of the two requirements – along with morning pages – was a weekly artist’s date. An activity by yourself where you refill your well. Give creativity something to pull from.

I find it quite easy to drain the well if I’m not taking care of myself. If I’m not feeding it. At the same time, just a little meal pays dividends, and I can see why a weekly “date” could be enough to keep an artist going indefinitely.

Well, isn’t it just a roller coaster of writing lately? It finally seems that Grammarly is working, and I hope it’ll remain functioning this time.

What may have had an effect is that I needed a new computer. My previous Macbook was whirling down to its last legs. I purchased it early in 2018, and while it was still a workhorse, it was showing its age. Slowing down; cooling noisily; intermittently needing to shut down or restart.

So, at the end of the year, I pulled the trigger – just in time to write it off 2022’s taxes. I only recently started using it regularly though, after transferring everything over that I needed.

So, new year, new computer, new dedication to writing. And an interface that (for now) works just like I want it to.

Was at an LA premiere a few weeks ago, and the writer/director of the film was talking about his process. It included doing a lot of thinking about the project – months and months worth. During that time, he’d take notes and make short drafts. Then he’d outline the whole thing.

By the time he got to writing the screenplays initial draft, it was almost all there, missing only dialogue elements.

Each of us has a way of doing things that works for us. The best thing we can do is learn how we like to work, and make tweaks to our routine so that if frees us to create in our best possible way.

Some mornings I sit down to write, and I wonder what this blog is. I don’t personally find my life as interesting as others. Not to say that I don’t have interesting moments, but I don’t envision this forum as a place to talk solely about myself.

My interests are pretty varied. Film/cinema; Japanese culture; books; some music; some theatre; a smattering of philosophy, art, history, economics, and politics. Basically, I like learning.

So when I write, I’m usually writing about something that interests me. And, I’m practicing writing. That’s the important part – to find your voice as a writer. Probably the thing I’ve struggled with the most over the years.

Maybe one day this whole thing will turn into something else. But for now, it’s a place on the internet where you can see what it is I’m curious about that day.

There’s a lounge between gates A and B that I sometimes rest at during layovers. In fact, I’ve written several posts from the benches there. However, I occasionally forget that I had ever been there in the first place. On my most recent layover at that airport, it occurred to me that I fly a lot. 

This new year may see me flying less, though I’m not entirely sure of that. I have at least three trips planned, and could end up with a couple other gigs that require travel. Either way, I thought I’d include some thoughts on flights, airports, and airlines as the year moves forward. 

For Charleston, there was a piano player in the atrium where you could sit in white rocking chairs and listen to him play. The lounge that I worked from was nice, though the pumped in top 40 mix of pop and country was a bit distracting. There are a couple of sofas, and I listened to some held-over flight crew snoring away as they napped on one. 

It’s easy navigable, and the airlines seemed to be laid out well for connections. All in all, I like a layover in Charlotte. Maybe almost as much as I like the Toronto airport.

“If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”

A saying that has been passed down forever, at least so it seems. But it’s solid advice. If it works, it works. Why try and change it?

Does the argument hold water though?

Yes, the mousetrap worked. But people still wanted to build a better one. The horse and buggy was a great method of getting around. Till someone invented the automobile. You could do calculations by hand, but why not use a calculator?

Just because something isn’t broken doesn’t mean that an improvement in its functioning couldn’t make the world a better place.

When was the last time you spent a day just enjoying yourself?

I was thinking of this over the holidays. Many days are spent just going through the motions. If you have a regular job, you’re probably spending days off catching up on things that need to get done around the house or helping out, or even just spacing out and losing the time altogether.

But what about a presence of mind and active enjoyment of an entire day? For me, I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time that I spent the day that way. So that’s something I will be doing this coming weekend. It’s my last weekend before filming starts, so I think it’ll be important to do that for myself.

It’s at this time of year that I like to take stock of all the aspects of my life – Health, Relationships, Personal, Career, Spiritual/Personal, Family & Friends, and Money. The Wheel of Life, developed by Paul J. Meyer in the 1960s.

Beyond just assigning a value to each of those fields, though, I find it helpful to really dig into the dirt of it. Evaluate my budget. Reach out to people I haven’t spoken with in a while. Look at my career trajectory and see if I need any fine-tuning.

It’s easy to get off course, especially if you’re only diving in once a year (or less). So it’s important to really be honest with yourself.