I recently stumbled down a very specific podcast rabbit hole. I happened upon an interview with Austin Kleon, who, if you don’t know, is the author of the creative “self-help” book called “Steal Like An Artist.” His book made waves upon its release, and he’s gone on to produce a string of similar books in the same vein, along with a pretty thorough online presence. After listening to the first interview, I searched Apple podcasts and found that he is a pretty regular presence in the podcastsphere. So I dove in and listened to maybe three or four more interviews. Then I read his first book, and recently just finished his latest “Keep Going.” Don’t paint me as a fanboy, or a creepy obsessive, please. At the same time, something obviously clicked when I heard Kleon’s no bullshit, unapologetic, unpretentious take on being creative. Not “a” creative, mind you (fuck off, Richard Florida.)

One of the biggest takeaways from this recent obsession has been incorporating daily writing into my creative practice. Not a journal or a diary, per se, but a short, focussed, one page, stream of consciousness exercise to get my day started. In some ways, it feels a bit like improv… I usually start with a word as a “prompt” that gets my mind wandering on a specific path. Abstract thoughts are ok, unrelated words come up. I look at this practice as sowing seeds for further exploration… at some point… or maybe never. The important thing is that I write it down. Why? Lest I forget. Perhaps the same reason I take photographs. Lest I forget. Small things, small impressions, a specific time, a specific feeling. Something concrete to remind me of the NOW. Time flies, emotions change, seasons come and go, people live and die, we get older, our memories start to fail. Create now… lest we forget.