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Category: Creating Art

Legos

Published on November 19, 2022

I used to love legos as a kid.

While I don’t play with them anymore, I still build daily.

And what I’m realizing is that each creation—each tweet; each 1-minute blog; each article; each LIVE Talk I host; each authentic interaction—is a lego block added to my collection.

And as it was when I was a kid: more legos = more possibilities, more creation potential, and ultimately… more remarkable designs.

This is why, in spite of having a LONG list of big projects I want to finish, I continue to spend substantial time on publishing mini-projects daily… because each day I add a new lego to my collection, is an instance when I get to proportionally grow the raw creation potential of ALL my ongoing big projects.

In short, in the case of Legos (literal and metaphorical) more is definitely better.

P.s. If these “legos” are helping you in the building of your own life creations, you can support my future “lego” building efforts here. You the best :)

Sharing Your Creations

Published on September 26, 2022

Sharing something you created with the wrong people will lead to disappointment.

Sharing something you created with the right people will lead to joy.

Neither outcome matters as much, however, as the fact that you shared something you created.

For creating is the ultimate joy and anything that stops you from creating is the ultimate disappointment.

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

Bored vs bored

Published on September 25, 2022

Lowercase “bored” is the lame kind.

It’s how you feel when you’re laying on the couch, with the TV playing in the background, as you scroll mindlessly through never-ending timelines on your phone… only to say to yourself… “I’m bored.”

It’s the kind of bored that’s mostly privileged and wasteful.

The other kind of bored however… the “uppercase kind” is quite the opposite.

Capital “B” Bored is the humbling, life-giving kind.

It’s how you feel when you’re meandering in your thoughts on long walks and car rides. It’s how you feel when you stare at a blank page and can’t quite figure out what to write. It’s how you feel when you have a blank canvas and don’t know what to paint.

…It’s the kind of bored that leads to introspection, healing, and art.

When we create space in our lives for more “Boredom,” we allow feelings and ideas to arise that would otherwise be suppressed by the constant influx of information that pours in through our senses.

By allowing our minds to wander undistracted, we tap into a creativity and playfulness that we once knew as children. The kind that builds kingdoms from foam blocks; dynasties from action figures; and galaxies from toy shuttles.

When we allow ourselves to be Bored, we allow our imaginations to stretch their legs. To dance around and play with everything we’ve thrusted at them since the last time they were given space.

But, if we constantly bombard our minds with the lame-kind of bored… I’m afraid we’ll only continue to suppress that life-giving gift.

And what a tragedy that would be.

P.s. I also published A Short Story About Calming The Mind today.

20 Remarkable Humans Who Transformed Their Pain Into Something Greater

Published on August 18, 2022

Below is a brief list of 20 remarkable humans who utilized and transformed their pain into something greater—something that made them into the remarkable humans we remember them to be (in no particular order):

  • Martin Luther King Jr. — Faced life-threatening racial violence and oppression.
  • Maya Angelou — Sexually abused and raped.
  • Pablo Picasso — Dyslexic and grew up poor.
  • Victor Frankl — Imprisoned at several Nazi concentration camps where his family was killed.
  • Franklin Roosevelt — Became partially paralyzed at 39 years old.
  • Oprah Winfrey — Gave birth at 14 years old and lost her child.
  • Frida Kahlo — Bedridden for months from a near-fatal automobile accident.
  • Jim Carrey — Experienced homelessness for an extended period of time.
  • Benjamin Franklin — Had to drop out of school at 10 years old.
  • Charlize Theron — Witnessed her mother kill her father.
  • Tony Robbins — Grew up in an abusive home with a poor stepfather.
  • Nelson Mandela — Wrongly imprisoned for 27 years.
  • Sylvester Stallone — Due to complications at birth, had a partially paralyzed face.
  • Tom Cruise — Born into poverty with an abusive father.
  • Frederick Douglass — Born into slavery, violence, and was separated from his parents.
  • Keanu Reeves — Dad left when he was 3. Lost a child. Lost a woman he loved.
  • Charlie Chaplan — Grew up poor. Dad left when he was 2. Mom was later sent to a psychiatric facility for mental health problems.
  • Ludwig von Beethoven — Deaf.
  • Stephen Hawking — Diagnosed at age 21 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
  • Bethany Hamilton — Attacked by a shark at 13 years old (kept surfing and winning championships anyway).

Takeaway: What you might perceive as your biggest obstacle(s), heaviest burden(s), or greatest disadvantage(s) might very well be your most powerful source(s) of drive after all.

The Opportunity Of Unpleasant Emotions

Published on August 9, 2022

Rather than looking at unpleasant emotions (e.g. anxiety, anger, upset) as burdens…

Look at them as powerful sources of fuel.

  • While joy might inspire a painting… sadness might inspire a masterpiece.
  • While love might inspire a song… heartbreak might inspire a classic.
  • While fun might inspire a book… pain might inspire a best-seller.

If you look closely at some of your favorite creations from throughout history… you might be surprised by how many were fueled by unpleasant emotions compared to those that were not.

Which begs the question… what might you be able to do/ create when your unpleasant emotions become fuel rather than weight?!

P.s. Here’s a short story about Frida Kahlo (as an example) and the unexpected gifts pain can provide.

The Bridge Between Consumer and Creator

Published on July 3, 2022

Moving from consumer to creator can be intimidating.

Consuming is risk-free, relaxed, and dopamine-releasing—but, unfulfilling.

Creating is risk-taking, nerve-wracking, and self-exposing—but, rewarding.

One intermediary step that helped me is curating.

Which, many people don’t realize, is a form of creation in its own right.

Taking the best of what you find and creating your own unique content playlist(s) is an art form—one that highlights unique taste.

The best part is this: by immersing yourself in what speaks to you and your unique tastes—you’ll start making connections with your unique life experiences and ideas… it’s inevitable because you’ll only ever be pulled to curate what resonates.

And oftentimes, the byproduct of good curation over enough time will be creation.