Sick lick! 🦑

Thanks to Let's Talk About Math Rock for the tabs and curated licks.

A few times I've made the case for blogging. Admittedly, though, maybe it's not your thing. I say this all lovingly, but blogging can have some baggage — the word itself is clunky, the format for delivery is old-fashioned (not in The Endearing way to some), and maybe you don't like the technical side of publishing.

Fine, fair enough!

What I'd also like to encourage you to do is write.

Andrew of Writing with Andrew seems to agree and has a great video on the matter.

Once students get over the hump of their initial bewilderment, they find that nonfiction pays off in all kinds of other ways. It gives them a chance to process their own experiences, to find meaning where they thought there wasn't any, to reckon with family histories, to articulate parts of themselves that have gone previously unexpressed, or even just to play with ideas and learn how to think through things in meaningful ways.

Put simply, writing is an opportunity to live more deeply. A chance to revel in the experience of it all.

There are plenty of other mediums to do this aside from blogging. But I bet you'll find some benefit in writing, no matter where you do it.

A common hurdle when it comes to publishing is how intimate it feels. I've certainly felt this. Turns out the feeling doesn't go away, because I keep finding things that feel more personal to share, more exposing.

But Andrew has another perspective on this:

There is always, and unavoidably, a separation between the flesh and blood human who is you and the constructed persona who represents you on the page. The essayist is not imagining characters in the same way that a fiction writer is. Instead, the essayist is making a character of themself.

If you've ever met someone whose writing you're familiar with, you'll catch it. Writing is a bit of a stage, and speaking with the person is not synonymous with reading their writing. Even someone who writes from a place of intimacy or in a casual tone is accessing a caricature.

So don't sweat the feeling of being too exposed — that's partly the whole point, and doubles as a shield.

I still think blogging is a fun way to do it. (Links, man!!) But maybe you prefer Twitter threads, video essays, or good ol' fashioned journaling. Whatever you do, don't miss the opportunity to magnify the experience of life!

I love being bored.

It's a stupendously easy problem to solve with quick hits. It's not entirely novel to this generation — magazines, books, comics, television, etc. have had a hand in staving off what can be an uncomfortable feeling.

But I savor it when I can. It makes room for one of my favorite hobbies: Daydreaming.

Not enough credit is given to daydreaming. It might be that there's not craft to it, perse. There aren't daydreaming contests, there's no coach I can hire for it. Maybe people see it as lazy. It certainly doesn't fit into a puritan work ethic.

And yet, paradoxically, it's essential, even in pragmatic efforts. Software problems are often solved while doing the dishes. Books are written while on walks. And music is composed in that twilight realm between wake and sleep.

But, I'd hate to justify it with a specific outcome. Much like music teaching advocates who would only speak of the increased SAT scores for music students, I feel that we'd be missing the point.

I will say, writing is a fun vehicle for it. A nice balance of structure and flexibility. A place to watch thoughts crawl through the page, turning here and there, until a piece comes together.

But, nothing quite beats having time to stare at the ceiling and see where the thoughts go. There's a magic to it, "between the click of the light and the start of the dream".

Another go at a different rif!

Thanks to Let's Talk About Math Rock for the tabs and curated licks.

It's been a while since I've shared something from the sketchbook!

Except if it were a slow jam.

Thanks to Let's Talk About Math Rock for the tabs and curated licks.

The night-time desk.

So good. 🤘

Thanks to Let's Talk About Math Rock for the tabs and curated licks.

Wahoo!

There's a piece I've been meaning to write about how Super Mario 64 was my medium for curiosity growing up. That running around in these worlds expanded my own, that taking to the sky in game made me curious as to what would happen if you flew into the skyboxes. What other discoveries could be made out there?

But, then again, maybe the painting says it all.

Greetings from Colorado! I'm releasing my first lil album since the move from Texas.

There's so much natural beauty out here. Mountains frame the sky and streams run in parallel with trails. I couldn't wait to capture some of that magic with sound!

Hope you enjoy, thanks as always for listening!

• Support the ablum on 🤘 Bandcamp.
• Listen on 📺 Youtube.
• Listen on 🙉 Spotify.

Never Meant — The Wonder Wall of Midwest Emo.

I've never felt so seen by a soundfont cover.

From cartoonist Zac Gorman:

In regards to process, I prefer to focus on figuring out what works best for me as opposed to what is or isn’t standard practice for contemporary comic artists. It has always been important to me to find a process that I’m comfortable with, that allows me to produce work quickly and that is the most fun possible, in order to stay engaged and productive.

I think a lot of what we understand as an artist’s “style” or “voice” is based around the development and maturation of their working process as this tends to produce a lot of variables, so what works for me may not work for you, but I think that fun, speed and comfort are the three factors I look for most in any process. Quality actually becomes a shockingly arbitrary value if you don’t first develop a process which helps you to finish work, enjoy the process of making work, and desire to make new work.

Play around with what works for you.

Another vote for Process > Product.

What's so appealing about an artist's visual style is how it communicates so much of their process. There's a great deal of humanity naturally baked in.

You would think this only applies to loose styles like Zac's, with their wobbly lines or flowing gestures. But even really polished, highly rendered pieces can expose how much an artist revels in the details.

Either way, fun has to be a major element.

(Even in software — I was speaking with a colleague about how the experience of working with a language can change the joy in the process and, of course, the end product.)

A scene from my walks with Lucy around our new neighborhood!

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A few years ago, I was torn up about leaving the teaching profession. I had this assumption that leaving the career meant that I was letting go of an identity: Someone that mentored. Someone that served. And someone doing creative work.

I was delightfully surprised as I stepped into the work of software. It turns out there's plenty of creativity, daily opportunities to be in service of others, and teaching/learning are requirements for the job.

It's noble to commit to a profession. However, the reality is that the humanity is in the effortless integration between roles and skills. A call with a friend is an opportunity to teach. So is playing with your dog. So is onboarding a new colleague. So is writing a blog post.

The same is true for many of the professions. Do you have to be a painter to be creative? Or are you creative when you come up with a solution to an interpersonal dispute? Are you only a leader if you manage others? Or can you lead by example from a position "lower" on the ladder? Are you only an entrepreneur when you run a company? Or do you find ways to innovate within your team?

The roles are merely robes to wear. Easily changed, we can step into them at any time. You may find yourself wearing certain pieces in unlikely places.