Categories
Artspiration

1% better

I am now 55 years old. Like a lot of people in middle age my late-night thoughts bend to contemplations about how short my remaining time is. Even with increasing longevity there is not enough time to do all that I want. Nowhere close. My friend Stewart Brand, who is now 69, has been arranging […]

Categories
Artspiration

Take advantage of proximity

When choosing a new habit many people seem to ask themselves, “What can I do on my best days?”​The trick is to ask, “What can I stick to even on my worst days?”​Start small. Master the art of showing up. Scale up when you have the time, energy, and interest.~ James Clear There’s a portrait […]

Categories
Artspiration

What phase are you in?

Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.~ Louisa May Alcott My daughter is 18 months old. It’s amazing to watch her go through phases. In the moment, it seems like they last for eternity but […]

Categories
Artspiration

What makes you, you?

You just have to find that thing that’s special about you that distinguishes you from all the others, and through true talent, hard work, and passion, anything can happen.~ Dr. Dre I get distracted easily and jump from one project to another. In the moment it can be frustrating as I make progress on some […]

Categories
Artspiration

To What End?

Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness. ~ Pearl S. Buck I have been encouraged to consider the above question before pursuing some new thing, whether it’s a goal, a job, or a project. Is it leading to more money, but at the expense of drastically less time? Is […]

Categories
Artspiration

Unique, not Special

For a really long time, I thought being different was a negative thing. But as I grew older, I started to realize we were all born to stand out; nobody is born to blend in.~ Halima Aden I recently listened to an interview where the guest empathized that he was unique, but not special. There […]

Categories
Artspiration

Back on the saddle

Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your won presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement.”-Alice Koller A few years ago, I bicycled across the state of Iowa. Since then, I’ve definitely gotten out of […]

Categories
Artspiration

Interior voyages

There is nothing like drawing to see. Likewise, there is nothing like writing in order to understand. ~ SoHyun Bae I’ve been blogging since at least 2009 (and writing longer than that). It’s fascinating to go back and read old posts and rediscover things about myself. Those posts show what I as thinking about, who my […]

Categories
Artspiration

Left unchecked…

Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success. It repulses advantages and opportunities. It’s a magnet for enemies and errors.~ Ryan Holiday We all […]

Categories
Artspiration

Perfection is a process

Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.~ Salvador Dali This really resonated with me when I read it and I thought I’d share. “the concept of perfection is arguably more ideally and healthily thought of as a verb not an adjective. It’s a process, a journey, and it’s through the continued, conscious act […]