Dear Creative,
You don’t have to build publicly.
The brash bluster of social media influencers and business owners isn’t the only quality that delivers results.
The qualities that keep you on the sidelines, admiring others but feeding the fears around your own creativity are also qualities that make you a good creative and a strong head down, focused on the work builder. Every con has a pro. And if this is yours, know that you don’t have to ignore your instincts.
While there’s value in sharing your plans publicly and having your online community hold you accountable, this note is…
I once had a writing professor who loathed cliches. And it makes sense; I avoid them, too. But honestly, I’m going to use one now because it explains this concept well and if I keep thinking of another way to say it, this will never get published.
Right? Right.
Dear Creative,
There have been a few times in my life where I went from being a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond.
Like graduating from a small(ish) college where everyone knew me from my roles on campus to moving to Nashville where…
It’s possible to live in the already, not yet of our creativity.
Dear Creative,
You might be feeling confused. Probably a little clueless. Definitely passionate, though. And, while those passionate feelings will come and go throughout your career, never forget that your work isn’t your life.
It may take up hours during the days, months, and years that make up your life, but your work is not where you should derive value.
Your value is in the sole fact that you have been created by the Ultimate Creator to serve Him with your gifts. And that you are already.
You…
I’ve been turning this post over in my mind for the last few months, debating the external value of this particular story. But, there’s worth in sharing both the big and the small, the easy and the difficult.
I spent the last few weeks of 2020 wondering if I had a benign brain tumor.
And, since people who don’t know my approach to health will be reading this, it wasn’t an “I googled and found non-peer-reviewed, scare tactic articles” situation. I went in for some in-depth, yet routine, testing for ongoing health concerns, and this came up. …
When I’m outside, I feel free. I run swiftly down inclines steep enough that, if I fall, I’ll tumble without stopping. The injury potential forces focus, but not decreased speed. There’s nothing else to focus on except the split-second decision of where my next step will land.
If I want clarity, I leave walls and roofs behind. I use the open sky as a chance to dream.
I used to think I was a poser. Even as a card-carrying, garage sale-loving REI member, could I call myself “outdoorsy” if I didn’t spend every free moment on the trail? …
I often look back at my time in Nashville with a smile, especially that first summer I spent with six friends who were interning or working in the industry. We were young, free from most adult obligations, and, as cheesy as it sounds, full of dreams. I grew an incredible amount during my nearly three years there.
One of the most beautifully painful and refining experiences was starting a company with someone in that friend group. We were young, and in the back of my mind, I knew that it probably wouldn’t work. But we didn’t have anything else going…
This is for the side-projecting, hustle loving creative who isn’t sure how they’re going to keep everything going. Who hears about that infamous term, “work/life balance” but isn’t sure what exactly that means or how to get there.
When conversations turn to the infamous work/life balance idea, people begin to squirm. Often because they don’t feel like they’re good at it. I sure do. It’s time to rethink it, though, because the more appropriate term is work/life integration. This is the idea where some days life requires more than 50% and others require 80% going towards work.
It is possible…
I originally wrote this about eight months ago while reflecting on the life-changing decisions I’ve made over the last four years. Changing your life isn’t a quick process, and we need to be prepared for the highs and the lows. Yet, it’s also one of the most life-defining times in my life. If you’re wondering if this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, then this is for you.
It’s always interesting to see people’s reactions when they find out I’m in Orange County “alone”. It’s usually surprise, and in a way I get it. Orange County is far different…
Unfulfilled potential isn’t something to fear. It’s something to honor because we’re in the midst of a journey filled with good and bad, easy and hard.
There’s a line in the movie The Circle that has stuck with me since I watched it last year. It’s during the interview scene, where Emma Watson’s character is asked what her fears are. She answers, “Unfulfilled potential.”
What, what?
Those two words solidified everything I had been feeling, and at times still feel. What if we don’t meet the outrageous, thrilling, and scary goals we set? …
Mediocrity isn’t something to fear. It’s something we all encounter in our lives and we’re not weird or negatively unique because of it.
The past few months have been a time of humbling growth. When you try new things, whether a role at work, a new type of project, or a new hobby, you’re (very likely) going to experience a whopping dose of humility.
You’ll likely wonder why you took on that project to begin with and the temptation to bolt is nearly enough to take over. Mediocrity is a sucky feeling most of the time. …
