Introducing "A week ago today"

I’ve been considering what and how to create things for a while now. If you notice the long pause of 6-months between these meager posts, it may ring out as laziness or lack of commitment or maybe no inspiration. Probably all of that is true and that was fine until it’s not. Often I take photos, save tickets, business cards — papers, and keep a ruminating mind that only spills out with coworkers in the kitchen, thoughts to a friend in a Slack conversation or subway. Reflection upon daily goings, books, articles, current events, live performances, and adventures was a requirement during my graduate school years — and reinforced during my Networks and the Creative Process course — that helped identify patterns from the chaos of an ordinary life. I miss that focused reflection, which brings me to the theme of these writings:

“A week ago today …” allows for a theme of what happened a week ago to marinate in my brain for enough time that it’s not impulsive and yet not too long ago that it’s forgotten. For new information to present itself and to connect more dots. Most importantly, it allows for flexibility in case a week ago nothing exceeding meal prep and a spin class rose to the occasion.

A week ago today, I was recovering from my hometown vacation. I was camped in front of the TV nursing a cold and decompressing after a packed week of reunions and merriment. This is my parent's dog doing the same, snuggling to keep warm, which is fitting to share tonight before the 'bomb cyclone' of 2018

I am now keeping a record of thoughts, experiences, and maybe eventually an insight or two. My intention, simply put, is to keep a writing practice. The emails I write to colleagues are no longer interesting and my witty banter in private slack channels isn’t as fun as it used to feel. Meanwhile, my head feels a bit of a mess and words stuck on my tongue. My motivation is that this frequent practice helps to sort it out.

Give a Damn. Create.

This evening I went to an event at a creative agency in Dumbo about storytelling. It struck me as the panelists wrapped up their previous work that nothing that they said provoked me. They were repeating the same words and phrases I've heard as I've attempted to 'build my brand' and craft a narrative that I can be proud of. But mostly what struck me is that they DID something.

Play + Creation

I took this image from a bus window. Evening as a child were free of self-censor and this moment just felt nostalgically magic. shot on iPhone

These 'creatives' took action even when I would have told myself 'too risky.' Those risks were financial, those risks were taking pen to paper, cuts to film (pixels?), shots on goal. I've consistently held an internal dialogue with myself that begins "I will..." or "I could..." but I'm not the grittiest of doers. I start a personal project, I walk away, I've started and stopped hobbies that I give myself credit for knowing a little bit about a lot. 

Those who DO have kept me up at night. They give enough of themselves into their actions that it's the do-ing that keeps them going, not the perfection. I'm telling myself to start creating, to be a do-er, and to hold myself accountable, I'm putting it all in the same place. I'll probably start projects, post series, and maybe let them dwindle, but I hold myself accountable to posting 3x per week. Maybe I'll archive these early ones as I find my themes, maybe I won't. I want others to see the input, the doing and, I want to see what I can accomplish.