I’ve written quite a bit lately about establishing a creative mindset, writing more, even about my diet shift in recent years.
Still, some may be wondering, What the hell is he rambling about?
And if so, first, apologies for the confusion. Either way, I felt it would be a good time to clarify what you can expect from me here on the blog and through other avenues moving forward.
What’s it all about?
In short, I am a writer, and will be writing a lot about writing and creativity, what I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about the the creative process, the craft of writing, the art of it all, as well as how to face and overcome the resistance that inevitably stands in the way of getting to where we most want to go as humans and artists and creatives.
It’s only been in recent months (maybe the past 18-24 months or so) that I’ve really formed a solid idea of what I want to do with my life from a creative perspective. I’ve known for a long time it would be around writing — I’ve been doing that in some professional setting for more than a decade — but what I want to leave behind before I ultimately move on from this life, is a collective body of works of fiction and nonfiction that others can take and digest and hopefully learn from and be inspired by. I’m doing this for me, for my kids, for those I’ve loved and lost, and without question for those, like me, who have a driving force within them to create something unique but have felt lost on their own paths in trying to do so.
And so most of what you can expect from me will be in the form of writing: novels, short stories, ebooks, nonfiction works, blog posts, newsletters. This site is writing-specific, but the actions of creative mindset I think can be applied to any creative art.
Adjacent to all of this will be a new coaching service focused on creativity and writing that I hope to launch soon, as well as workshops and videos. This is all in the ideation stages, of course, so I will provide more on these efforts as they develop.
To start, here’s one thing you can expect for me in the short-term, in addition to this blog and my weekly newsletter:
The manifesto of things.
I’ve been really highly intrigued with the art of the manifesto over the past several years. Jeff Goins’ has written several of them, all inspiring: The Writer’s Manifesto, Wrecked for the Ordinary, and an artist manifesto.
Some have shorter manifestos, like Jennifer Blanchard, who has a manifesto for creative writers, and K.M. Weiland, with her own focused on writing. Then there’s longer book-length manifestos like Jacob Nordby’s Blessed Are the Weird (which I’ve written about extensively and am honestly recommending every creative person read, because good goddamn . . . check it out and you’ll see).
These have all called to me in some way and I have felt this reverberating pulse within me to move forward with my own manifesto, which I’m working on now. I don’t have a formal launch or release date for this yet but I will say this much:
- It will be an ebook.
- It will be free.
- It will be available to all subscribers to this site.
The main theme about this will mirror what I’m trying to focus on here in the site, and that is how important it is for all of us to listen to that deep-down hum inside, the one that thrums at such a low vibratory rhythm we can hear it most clearly when all else is quiet and it rings in your ears and moves along in your chest. It is like an inner-wind turbine that emits harmony at a low octave. It is there, we all have this, it is what makes us go, whether we acknowledge it consciously or not.
For me, this is all about writing. It’s about creating, it’s about cracking open my head and spilling forth and, hopefully, helping others see the unique beauty in what I see, the bleeding brilliance of the world and all its light and what lies within, through, and behind it.
The manifesto will also look at those inevitable roadblocks and obstacles along the way. It will explore how these things are essential to our success as writers or creatives. It will be about embracing and integrating with these fears, not rid them or try to move past them. They will never go away. They are not meant to go away. They have a much different purpose.
We are here now, in this life, as humans, and that means we are born with an inherent hardwired coding of fear. This is healthy in its natural state, it is meant to help us survive, but it’s also misguided in this day and age, and our inherent fear mechanism isn’t well-versed in what’s a real threat and what’s a misconceived threat. The good news is we do not need to let it stop us.
Fear, after all, is a lamp post (I smell a working title hint in there).
The manifesto is just one piece of the myriad puzzle. Lots to come. Oh yes.
Thank you for your support thus far, much love.
Stay tuned.
