While I currently have two books in the works that I’m readying for release, I started working on an idea for my next one several months ago. I use that word “working” pretty loosely. All I did was watch a bunch of movies on a theme and start keeping my eyes open for interesting and […]
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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 […]
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At 15, French dubstep whiz Fytch remixed a Little Boots song called “Earthquake”. In doing so he took a so-so dance tune and turned it into something spectacular: In the process, he launched himself as a highly respected artist who now at 19 books with some of the best DJs in the world. How did […]
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When I’m writing at my finest, words seem to align with the experiences of life in a completely harmonized way. Not a single note misses. Not one is out of tune. These are the happiest moments of my life. Their meaning radiates outwards, bringing joy and connection to everything else I do and see. It’s […]
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“We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us.” – Marshall McLuhan This week on my Facebook page, I posted a list of things that didn’t exist (or barely did) when I was 18. Things keep coming to me, so here’s an expanded version: Artificial Intelligence Amazon Big data Cyberbullying Data plans Digital cameras Digital […]
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Michelangelo famously described the sculpting process like this: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry described the writing process this way: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” What a fascinating resonance […]
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Recently, I identified a pattern that has severely hindered my ability to do an outstanding job on the last stages of my long-term projects. I reach a point where I’m basically 80% done everything and then all of the sudden, I start shutting down and doubting the validity of the work I’ve done. At that […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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