complete 10 essays

Notes on Making

Making things is a strange act of faith. You pour yourself into work that may go unnoticed, for an audience you'll never meet, on a timeline you can't predict. These ten essays explore what it means to be an artist in the truest sense — not the romantic version, but the real one.

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Essays in this series

31 August 2022

I'm Mediocre. But, I Show Up.

I'm not the smartest writer in the room. But I show up when others don't. The volume of work will have a compounding effect and eventually make me good.

26 August 2022

Creating for the Unknown

A writer doesn't know who accepts or rejects them. You write believing the work is good and people will like it. Write, write, and write — there is no other way.

22 August 2022

If You're an Artist, Be Patient

Good artists aren't creating for the current generation, but for the generations to come. Vivian Maier found her audience after death. Be patient.

15 August 2022

Be Happy When Your Idea Gets Stolen

Your idea is not unique — thousands are thinking the same thing. Be grateful someone executed it. Have faith your next idea will be just as good.

8 August 2022

The World Doesn't Remember

The half-life of someone remembering your work shrinks every year. Create for your own pleasure. It doesn't matter if the world doesn't remember.

1 August 2022

Don't Sell Art Due to Peer Pressure

Don't turn something you love into a business just because others think you should. Continue doing it for your pleasure. Nobody will judge you for it.

25 July 2022

It's Okay to Be Unoriginal

Before becoming a master, Michael Crichton set out to be entirely unoriginal. The output should come immediately. Let originality come eventually.

18 July 2022

Surround Yourself with Smart People

I was never the smartest in the room, but I was lucky to make friends who were. Great ideas are rarely born alone — they emerge from a scenius.

11 July 2022

Celebrate the Masters Today

We romanticize art from the past while ignoring the masters among us today. The golden age of art isn't a memory — it's now. Celebrate it.

4 July 2022

Why I Write

Writing is how I communicate, express, and celebrate life. It converts scattered ideas into coherent words that might someday mean something to someone.