For the past few weeks I’ve been kind of obsessed with watching videos from and about the artist, Tom Sachs. It started with a video Van Neistadt made about Tom’s “10 Bullets” zine, which is basically an instruction manual of ten rules for new hires at Tom's studio. I wrote down a quote from a keynote/Q&A he did for The New York Times where he said, “Part of my job is to live a more interesting life and a more inspiring life for myself.” That’s one of those ideas that I feel like I’ve always kind of known or felt but never quite articulated to myself in such a clear and actionable way. Many issues ago I talked about how hobbies are portals that can take you into other worlds and introduce you to new people. I talk a lot in this newsletter about my love for exploring, for going off the beaten path, getting out into nature, all that stuff. I understand the necessity of that for my creative process and how having new experiences refills the well and gives me new things to draw from, but I forget that it's a responsibility. When I heard him say that, I thought, “Right, of course. I owe it to myself and my work to live a more interesting life.” I’m still trying to figure out what that means for me and where I can push the envelope. But making it a responsibility means prioritizing it. One other thing I learned over the last week or so is that it pays to be open and vocal about your likes, loves, passions, and obsessions. I posted a pic from my trip to Comic Con of something I have loved for over a decade now. Someone at my agency saw it and connected the dots to an opportunity and by the end of last week I found myself in a pretty extraordinary situation that I hadn’t even imagined was a possibility two days before.My managers recently reminded me to be open and specific about these things in general meetings as well. I tend to stay pretty close to my “lane” or what people know and expect of me, like the grounded, near future sci-fi stuff, the classic Amblin vibe, The Twilight Zone vibe. I forget to say, “But you know what I love and have always wanted to do…” An hour after they gave me that advice I brought one of my favorite movies up in a general and talked about an original idea that plays in a similar sandbox. It sparked a great and hopefully ongoing conversation. My hope for you this week is that you seek out some interesting and inspiring experiences, and that you are open and vocal about your passions and obsessions. As always, this newsletter is not a how-to, it’s a “how I’m currently” evolving my own creative process and navigating mystery career. It's free but you're always welcome to support it by "buying me a coffee" at the Ko-fi link at the very bottom. Thanks, have a great weekend!
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Where the Hell Are You?
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For the past few weeks I’ve been kind of obsessed with watching videos from and about the artist, Tom Sachs. It started with a video Van Neistadt made about Tom’s “10 Bullets” zine, which is basically an instruction manual of ten rules for new hires at Tom's studio. I wrote down a quote from a keynote/Q&A he did for The New York Times where he said, “Part of my job is to live a more interesting life and a more inspiring life for myself.” That’s one of those ideas that I feel like I’ve always kind of known or felt but never quite articulated to myself in such a clear and actionable way. Many issues ago I talked about how hobbies are portals that can take you into other worlds and introduce you to new people. I talk a lot in this newsletter about my love for exploring, for going off the beaten path, getting out into nature, all that stuff. I understand the necessity of that for my creative process and how having new experiences refills the well and gives me new things to draw from, but I forget that it's a responsibility. When I heard him say that, I thought, “Right, of course. I owe it to myself and my work to live a more interesting life.” I’m still trying to figure out what that means for me and where I can push the envelope. But making it a responsibility means prioritizing it. One other thing I learned over the last week or so is that it pays to be open and vocal about your likes, loves, passions, and obsessions. I posted a pic from my trip to Comic Con of something I have loved for over a decade now. Someone at my agency saw it and connected the dots to an opportunity and by the end of last week I found myself in a pretty extraordinary situation that I hadn’t even imagined was a possibility two days before.My managers recently reminded me to be open and specific about these things in general meetings as well. I tend to stay pretty close to my “lane” or what people know and expect of me, like the grounded, near future sci-fi stuff, the classic Amblin vibe, The Twilight Zone vibe. I forget to say, “But you know what I love and have always wanted to do…” An hour after they gave me that advice I brought one of my favorite movies up in a general and talked about an original idea that plays in a similar sandbox. It sparked a great and hopefully ongoing conversation. My hope for you this week is that you seek out some interesting and inspiring experiences, and that you are open and vocal about your passions and obsessions. As always, this newsletter is not a how-to, it’s a “how I’m currently” evolving my own creative process and navigating mystery career. It's free but you're always welcome to support it by "buying me a coffee" at the Ko-fi link at the very bottom. Thanks, have a great weekend!