For the Hungry Artist
Many Saturday mornings my Dad made waffles.
Real waffles.
Waffles on a gigantic waffle iron the size of a sheet of plywood.
But Dad’s waffles weren’t normal. They had personality. They often resembled Mickey Mouse, butterflies, and I vaguely recall my alpha/omega initials “AZ” being burned into those wonderful little divits.
Breakfast is magic. What other meal is it permissible to douse the food with syrups, sugars and whipped toppings? Continue reading “3 Reasons Why Men Make Breakfast”
This morning, I started two blog posts.
And didn’t finish them.
It feels a bit like my work today is a failure.
A flop.
I even considered not posting at all today…
But it’s time to make some lemonade.
Ladies and Gentlemen: the weirdest blog post ever…
Continue reading “Work in Progress: Weirdest Blog Post Ever”
From: You
Subject: Your Creative Life
Date: Today
To: You
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear You:
Remember me? I'm you, but it's 20 years down the road.
I know this is kinda weird because you don't remember
writing this e-mail, but I'm sending it anyway.
I wanted to remind you that you're amazing, you have
what it takes, and your creative life is astounding. It's
imperative that you keep creating. What I've realized
(now that it's 20 years later) is that many people depend
on your work. You may not feel like your work matters, but
it does. So keep creating. Keep living a creative life.
Don't stop.
Don't worry if it's bad.
Just keep working.
The best way to keep readers from enjoying your awesome posts is to write a poor title.
Your title should engage the reader, build value and provide them with a possible answer to a question they’ve always wanted to know. For instance, you’re reading this post (most likely) simply because of the title “How to (not) Write a Blog: Biggest Blogging Mistakes.”
For some great tips on writing engaging headlines, check this out.
If you wint your credibulit to be shot to the wall, make stupid errors just the ones’ in this sentence
Distracting aren’t they?
Tip: if you’re not great at catching grammatical errors, have someone who is gifted in that arena proofread your posts before hitting that publish button.
Continue reading “How to (not) Write a Blog: Biggest Blogging Mistakes”
Mastering the art of when to break and not break the rules is a never-ending exercise in creativity. As creatives, we live with the privilege of learning that tightrope walk.
Today’s my birthday.
I’m 36.
I used my birthday money to buy this…
Yes, it’s a remote control toy helicopter.
Yes, I’ve played with it a lot.
Yes, it’s amazing.
Some justification. A friend posted a quote on my Facebook Page today by Chili Davis, a Major League baseball player: “Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” Chili Davis.
Chili? His name is Chili. No, for serious. I checked it. It’s for real.
So yeah, I’m just following Chili’s advice. (Said that in my head a few times… “I’m just following Chili’s advice.”) I’m gonna break a few rules, make a few, and keep a few rules this year to keep my creative juices growing.
~I’ll do my best work this year rather than rest on my laurels.
~I’ll learn what my ‘my laurels’ are.
~I’ll love better.
~I’ll keep rules, break rules, and sometimes make my own rules.
~I’ll live like a disciplined rebel with a cause.
~I’ll not just dream about ideas; I’ll do the dream, and take the steps to see the idea grow into a reality.
~I’ll explore like a toddler, dream like an adolescent, and work like a ‘responsible’ adult.
Today may or may not be your birthday, but we can always focus, define, and set the tone for our lives as we walk that creativity tightrope.
How are you growing down, growing up, and keeping the balance of rule keeping and rule breaking?
There are multiple mediums of artistic expression: oil on canvas, word on paper, film on screen, status update on Facebook.
Regardless of the medium, at times our initial vision may get distorted by a glitch (or two) during the creative process. The clay is too dry. The paint is low quality. Writer block. Fear. In the case of a Facebook update intending to be clever, the distortion emerges because of not proofreading.
A simple example, and yet it proved a point to me:
Our blunders often create something unexpected.
Isn’t that what we want as creatives? We love the unexpected. Something new. Something fresh. Something surprising and refreshing. Sometimes we must allow ourselves the grace to make mistakes during the process. If we don’t, we will never create. We will never share. Others will never enjoy our work.
Conversely, when we do give ourselves grace in the process, we enjoy the immense satisfaction of creating and sharing our work. It’s very refreshing. Very rewarding.
Isn’t it time to dive in? Time to make some mistakes? Time to blunder?
Who knows, the end result may be more interesting, beautiful, and unique with the mistakes than without them.
I’m weak. Like a girl at a hip-swiveling Elvis concert. Can’t say no. Willpower shot.
I hear from within me a whisper of sinister rationalization:
You deserve a break today.
To which I answer “yes. Yes indeed I DO deserve a break today.” And then another voice…
You want it, you need it.
Another answer of “I do want it, and yup, I do need it.” But then, the voice goes one too far with…
I’m lovin’ it.
Sitting here in my office, I realize I’m having an inner dialog with slogans from McDonald’s. Dang marketing department.
Generally, this self-talk happens in a matter of seconds and transpires just before lunch, which, of course, is already packed. I have an apple, a healthy wrap with 46 grams of fiber, and even some Greek Yogurt for dessert. Healthy, yes, but I want the trash food. I want the warm, gooey goodness that can only be found on a McMenu.
I’ll indulge in a McDouble from time to time, ordering it without cheese to make myself feel that I’m still cutting out some of the ‘unhealthy’ calories. Like I’m both auctioneer and buyer at the same time, the script often reads like this:
Auctioneer: I have a lovely McDouble on this pristine, plastic encased menu. I’ll start the bidding at one dollar.
Me: That’s not really even food. I’ll feel terrible after I eat whatever that thing is but I deserve a break today don’t I? Hmmmm. Ok I’ll take it.
Auctioneer: Going once, going twice….
Me: I’ll take it if I can have it without cheese. That’ll make it healthy. Right?!
Auctioneer: Sold to the man with weak willpower.
On my better days, I arrive having already eaten my healthy lunch. I’m just at McDonald’s to get out of the office for a wee bit. They have free wi-fi. They also have Diet Dr. Pepper. I’m a hero. I’m out of the office. I get a treat I love. I haven’t indulged in the McDouble McProblem.
After two (or three) free refills I have enough caffeine in me to levitate back to the office. Thanks Diet Dr. Pepper. Thanks McDonald’s.
What are your midday temptations? What marketing department tantalizes your subconscious… and wins?
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