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Today I have been fortunate and careful enough to complete 66 orbits around the sun. Like any life there have been many highs and lows. Like any person, I have tried to maximize the highs and mitigate...
Welcome to my 48th article this year and the last of 2023. The end of the calendar year is as good a time as any to take stock of the last 12 months and make new plans. Time to start again.
There are t...
So here it is. You have cleared your mind and stilled the incessant, distracting chatter (as we discussed in last week’s blog post). Now you are staring at a blank page, or staff or canvas. Maybe you ...
The quieter you become, the more you can hear. - Ram Dass
Here I sit in a coffee shop, attempting to write. This has to be one of the loudest environments around. I can barely hear the scream of the st...
The smell of the polish, the feel of the wood; after all these years it still brings me pleasure and no small amount of comfort to perform my ritual of preparation before I step on a stage or hit the ...
At the end of the day, it’s what we actually do. Professional creators in any field must contend with a dizzying array of support tasks. But the care and effort we bring to our craft is what sets us a...
My wife, Jenn is a creator of the fine art persuasion. She draws and paints and many of her creations are stunningly unique. At one point early in our relationship I commented, “Wow - that’s really ou...
“Sad songs, they say so much,” sang Elton John in 1984. The dark side of art was popular long before Bernie Taupin wrote those lyrics and remains so now.
Sophie’s Choice; The Road; Tears in Heaven; The...
This article is dedicated to all the creators out there working their butts off. All y’all (that’s Southern plural) creating content, watching trends, crunching numbers, tweaking marketing and all tha...
The older I get, the more I see the value of taking a longer view. When I was first learning to drive, my father told me to look farther down the road to keep me from weaving around. It was good advic...
As an existentialist, I don’t believe that we are born with a pre-defined destiny. Consciousness does not come with a road map, so you are free to choose your own self-meaning. Let’s take a look at wh...
A message for my creative friends, borne of love and compassion:
There are many thoughts and behaviors that impede our progress and make it more difficult to achieve our goals. What appear to be unrela...
It is valuable to travel to once-familiar places and reminisce. In my experience, it is often necessary to look back in order to move forward.
Memories
Memory is a powerful ally. At its core, your m...
Practical Existentialism is a term I use to describe the theoretical and clinical foundation of my work. It is a particularly effective mindset and operational strategy for creators.
Practical existent...
A confidence cycle is the diametric opposite of the proverbial “downward spiral.”
We all know the downward spiral as it applies to health, for example.
Let’s look at a fictional character, “Joe.” Joe i...
