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Category: Creating Art

Growth via Messing Around

Published on November 1, 2023

This morning, Facebook memories resurfaced an old video of me performing a bo (staff) combo in casual clothes after a casual training session that blew me away.

It was so creatively different than so much of what’s being performed in the martial arts school I teach at these days.

And what’s interesting about this clip is that even though it was 4 years ago, I distinctly remember this particular training session.

A couple martial arts students asked if I wanted to have a Sunday session, I agreed, we went to the school, blasted good music, and just messed around and fed off each other’s energy for several hours.

…We started by training what we knew.

…We continued by doing variations of what we knew—oftentimes either hating or hurting ourselves with the results (I’ve whacked my hands and head with my bo more times than you’ve probably ever touched a bo).

…We were oftentimes inspired by the variations done by our training comrades.

And we ended up with a few interesting ideas that we then chained back together with what we knew coming into the session… which left us with an upgraded skillset that prompted the above video and this share.

This is how growth works.

A willingness to try. A chunk of undisrupted time. And the ability to keep trying in spite of the hate and hurt.

…Bonus points, of course, if you have a good playlist and aligned company.

P.s. Day 3: I was able to personally thank a gentlemen who occasionally texts out an uplifting thought in the mornings to a group of aligned and opted-in friends.

Imagination Decline

Published on August 1, 2023

I got an email from a writer I follow online titled: How to create 1,000 content ideas in 11 minutes.

With the first line revealing the secret as: “…look no further than ChatGPT.”

And while I have no doubt that this is possible and true… the thought of 1,000 content ideas produced in a matter of minutes for me to then process gives me ANXIETY.

Sure, I know I don’t have to read through and process them all—but, why create them then?

If there’s anything I’ve learned from writing 1,200+ days in a row now… it’s that we don’t need 1,200 ideas to write about right now. Or in 11 minutes for that matter.

What we need is just one idea to focus on just for today.

And the best way, from my experience, to come up with that idea isn’t to default to ChatGPT—it’s to look within and spend a good chunk of time in uncomfortable quietness / boredom.

While it’s true that ChatGPT gets better the more we use it (and we at understanding how to use it), what also gets better the more we use it is… get this… our imagination.

…And imagination seems to be in a proportional decline as ChatGPT usage continues to spike.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way for us.

Life’s Footsteps

Published on July 31, 2023

Time spent in creative self-expression is time never wasted.

In those moments when we’re spreading paint, choreographing movement, wrestling with words, etc… we’re staking claim to the existence that is uniquely our own.

…Consider for a moment all of the things you uniquely created since being born.

Could anyone else have created those things in the exact same ways? Surely not. And for something to spontaneously arise from within based on the unique DNA, experiences, and perspectives of the creator—is something, by definition, incredibly special. What a shame to be born a unique manifestation of life and to rarely express it!

It’s with this in mind that I encourage you to spend more time in creative endeavors.

Not only will you never regret it, but you’ll leave behind the rightful legacy that is uniquely your own. A path of metaphorical footsteps that, with each creation another imprint in the earth formed. Proving your existence and ultimately leaving behind a path composed of colors, movements, and paragraphs that we—all of those who come after—may absorb and use to influence the next creative expressions of our own.

Leaving behind a legacy not only of footprints in the metaphorical earth, but a legacy of footprints along the metaphorical hearts of all those who your creations leave an imprint on.

What’s The Point?

Published on July 6, 2023

There are hundreds, thousands even, of written pieces of content that I could easily repurpose and share as my daily blog. Pieces that you probably wouldn’t even recognize as being repurposed that would share some of my past ideas that I’m (1) proud of, (2) are just collecting dust, and (3) could very likely be helpful to you.

But, that’s not the point.

The point is to reflect daily on what’s happening inside my mind. To think about what I’m currently thinking; what I’m currently feeling; what direction I’m currently heading—and if I’m content with that direction or if I need to make adjustments.

The point is the practice.

Not the educating/ entertaining/ “edu-taining” an audience. Once you do a thing for the sake of the thing, you no longer care about metrics, content strategies, or marketing plans. You’re free to embark on a journey that’s specifically for you, by you. And you, too, should have a practice in your life that’s done purely for the sake of the thing—one that’s insulated from outside manipulation.

When everything is measured, tracked, and influenced by the rest of the world—suddenly, work never stops. Because as soon as you make a thing about the others, it’s work. Keep that thing to yourself, however, and make the practice sacred and suddenly… work is forgotten.

…And your work will be better because of it.

P.s. My guide that helps you calibrate your life’s direction is currently on sale. Use code ‘SUMMER10’ to save $10 at checkout.

Creative Juicing

Published on June 26, 2023

There’s only so much creative juice available to us each day.

If we align our time/energy/effort properly, we can maximize the juice we’re able to squeeze. But, if we don’t take care of ourselves, carelessly wash away our most valuable hours, and/or succumb to passive entertainment… we miss our opportunity to squeeze creative juice at all.

…And what a shame to be given a ripe fruit and not get even one taste of its juice.

Set aside some proper time to squeeze, however, and you’ll reap the rewards. The first big squeeze, done at your peak time, will yield the greatest results. Wait for a while longer inside the day and you’ll get a second shot at the same, once squeezed fruit—it doesn’t replenish. And so it is for each attempt inside the day after that.

After the first two or three major squeezes, the additional squeezes won’t yield very good results. You’re better off releasing the fruit, resting, and allowing your creative juices to replenish. This is why working when you’re exhausted can feel like such a waste of energy/effort—you’re squeezing from an exhausted fruit.

And this is why, the people who are able to squeeze the most creative juice from life don’t do so in short stints of time. They routinely get their two to three big squeezes from the fruit that’s replenished each day and do so over an extended period of time. And if you want to squeeze the most creative juice from this life, that’s what you should plan for, too.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

Inspiration On The Other Side

Published on June 23, 2023

I don’t judge days by the amount of inspiration I’m feeling; I judge days by the amount of opportunity I’m given.

And each day, I’m granted 86,400 moments—86,400 opportunities to engage with and experience life.

Wait for inspiration to strike inside your moments—and you’ll be waiting around for much, if not all, of your 86,400 moments. Quite possibly more as days turn into weeks or months…

Start striking regardless of how you feel and what you might find is inspiration on the other side. On the side that appears mundane, average, ordinary, normal, expected…

For what is it that starts a fire? Is it a lightning strike? Yes—occasionally. Is it some tinder, kindling, firewood, and a match? Yes—much more consistently and reliably.

And what’s surrounding you right now? Lightning strikes? …Maybe if you’re in a creative phase or riding some high powered muse momentum. Is it some tinder, kindling, and firewood—aka blank papers/canvas, keyboards/pens, computers/connections? I’d say yes—undoubtedly.

Everything you need is already available to you.

All you have to do is categorize, organize, and light the damn match.

Believe it.

P.s. I ran out of words yesterday, so to catch up, I’m thankful for The Almonds Guy and today, funnily enough, I’m thankful for inspiration lightning strikes. Because while building fires manually works—inspiration strikes are exciting as hell and I gotta give them a shout out for being so.

Inner Work Pays

Published on June 6, 2023

I have no idea how many people actually read these daily posts.

This would distract me from the purpose of the practice.

Which, isn’t to say I wouldn’t like it if more people read my daily posts.

It’s to say that the audience is secondary.

Writing for the sake of writing—for my own reflective purposes and personal development—is primary.

The second I start writing for the audience first, it’s no longer inner work—the task suddenly becomes outer work.

And while it’s true that outer work can pay in attention and dollars… it’s the inner work that pays in fulfillment and clarity.

Remember this as you practice your craft. If it suddenly feels like it’s becoming laborious and forced—it’s because you’re creating with the wrong people in mind.

Create with only one person in mind—yourself—and watch as the weight dissolves off your shoulders and your muse begins to visit more freely once again.