Over the years, I’ve put out a lot of creative work: three books, five business ventures, a PhD dissertation, tons of paintings and digital art, university courses, countless articles, interviews, websites, blog posts, etc. On and on. Yet despite this output, I’ve been plagued with a question for as long as I can remember. It’s […]
Read More
I cracked the psychology of a character in my forthcoming novella Clickbait today. This guy, Bryan, has been just kind of sitting there, nestled in between the book’s other 5 characters, being a bit of a bore. He wasn’t really on my radar because his story just kind of fit with everything else without being […]
Read More
If you’re over 25 and you’ve never failed on a New Year’s resolution then you can probably disregard this post and revel in your mastery of life. If, however, you’ve gotten to that cynical point so many people do, and begun to suspect *gasp* that New Year’s resolutions are all a sham, please allow me […]
Read More
In Spendshift, I write briefly about the quest for email zero. It’s the holy grail of keeping on top of things: zero unread emails in your Inbox, always. There are a bunch of strategies for getting yourself there, but the point is once you’ve accomplished and maintained it for a while, the sense of satisfaction […]
Read More
I’ve been working through a great book called The Artist’s Way for about five months now, which provides a self-directed course on breaking through artistic blocks and cultivating creativity. One of the most useful ideas is the “morning pages,” which consist of a daily, three-page word dump, wherein you write out anything and everything that […]
Read More
Even though money is one of the most practical concerns in life, it can also be a means by which we express much about who we are at the deepest levels. If that notion makes you cringe a little, it’s likely because the idea of “mindless consumerism” has long-dominated many people’s picture of spending. It […]
Read More
Seventeen was a great age for finding others with shared interests. Because of the structural limitations of high school, everyone you knew was getting most of the same information as you. They also knew all the same people. Additionally, at least when I was seventeen, most people shared the same cultural references because we got […]
Read More
Often, a specific panic sets in when I feel like I’m not making good use of my time. Suddenly, I start to experience my work as a race against death. Every second wasted not making something that will go into the world is a waste of the tiny amount of life I’ve been allotted. I […]
Read More
Yesterday morning, I went out, ordered my coffee, sat down, and started working. This morning, when I was ordering my morning coffee at the shop where I work, the person at the counter looked directly at me and asked me how I was doing. Often, I’d just say “Can I have a…” without even replying […]
Read More
Some coffee shops are forgettable: standard music, generic art, mediocre coffee, cold baristas, clientele who hold no interest to you. Some, on the other hand, are bohemian bliss: Edgy wall art complements sublime indie tunes. You overhear snippets of conversations about politics, philosophy, urban life, cool projects. The baristas are open and willing to take […]
Read More