by Owen | Sep 1, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
The thing I’m reading: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book was recommended to me by my girlfriend. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant at first but I came to love it. Its somewhere between a self-help book and a love letter to the creative journey. Gilbert explores what it’s like to be in a relationship with creativity and imparts her thoughts on how to embrace and find fulfillment within it. I was especially drawn to Gilbert’s vehement denouncement of the idea that you must suffer for your art. Even more controversial, the idea that your art need not be taken too seriously or deemed important. Her thoughts on living as a “trickster” instead of the martyr will stay with me.
The thing I’m pondering: The Shape of a Story
Let’s say we are trying to convey a lesson. Most lessons on their face are very simple. At its most exposed this lesson is like a square: neat and easily understood. “Smoking is bad,” “Don’t hurt people,” etc. But here’s the catch: squares are boring. No one will remember our square among all the others. So what we do we do? Well as with most good lessons we tell a story, we imbue the lesson in a context that is engaging and memorable. The more unique and detailed the story, the more chances we have to engage our audience. But once again there’s a trade-off. The more complex we make our story the less clear our once tidy square becomes. It becomes a Rorschach Test, shaped by our story and guiding our audience to our lesson through personal interpretation and deconstruction. Perhaps then the more deliberate we are in our storytelling, the more representative our inkblot becomes. (Full post on this coming soon!)
The goal I’m setting: A Book a Week
Though fairly innocuous, it’s a fairly easy goal to fall behind on. Speaking it into the world here holds me accountable.
The Chapter I’m closing: The New York Summer
I’ll post a full follow up on this but it’s crazy to think I’ve been here for a whole third of a year. This chapter has taught many lessons both in and out of the theater.
by Owen | Aug 25, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
In the interest of trying to write more and work on self-reflection, I’ve decided to post a weekly roundup here on the blog. I think it will be a good place to put down some of my thoughts and pondering. Who knows maybe it some of it will become full posts. We’ll see what shape it takes as it goes!
The thing I’m reading: This is Marketing by Seth Godin
I’m a big believer in interdisciplinary learning. I’m an even bigger believer in the power storytelling. This book was perfect for me. Whether you or not you are interested in marketing as a career, Godin’s book illustrates how we can all use its principles in our endeavors. Godin promotes his marketing tenets of consistency, connection, and storytelling and shows how you can use them to create change within a culture. Godin’s has quickly become a large influence on the way I think about life and business.
The thing I’m procrastinating with: How I Met Your Mother
It was worth it.
The thing I’m confronting: Composing
I’ve been a musician for a long time now. But the act of composing has always been a struggle for me. I blame it on my lack of “classical training” but in reality, it’s just my lizard brain resistance telling me I’m no good at it. My next upcoming project, however (entirely by my idea) is forcing my hand. And guess what? Turns out it’s not so scary. They aren’t the best pieces in the world but if I keep showing up every day to do it then they’ll have to get better eventually right?
The thing I’m pondering: Fault and Responsibility in Education
I find lots of students blaming some aspect of their education for their lack of preparedness. This can mean in transitioning to college, entering the “real world” and so forth. Now it may be the fault of the system, or a professor, or their chosen curriculum. But here’s the important thing: the fault is irrelevant. What’s important here is responsibility, specifically your responsibility to attain your goals. Regardless of who’s at fault, it is still your responsibility to prepare yourself. Yes, it may not be your fault that this was not easily provided, but that doesn’t negate its necessity and your responsibility to attain it. Take it one step further and it becomes your responsibility to make that education more available to those who come after you. That’s how we all move forward.
This is an extension of an idea Mark Manson discusses in his book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
