daily-ish index.

reminding me that life is short.

I ran into a friend in the grocery store today as I was rushing around on my lunch break, running errands, restocking my coffee, living a hectic life between meetings. She was wandering. Shopping. Waiting for news from her doctor. I probably don’t need to mention there was a good chance it would be bad

… thought
are brand you.

Your personal brand is a culmination of everything you put out into the world under the banner of your name. It’s not a logo or a style or a website or a social media follower count. Or rather, it’s not just any one of those things, but all of them mushed together into the perception

… thought
re: isaac asimov.

I read a lot of science fiction when I was a kid, and in the eighties and nineties that meant I read a lot of Isaac Asimov. You could say that he was a bit of a creative inspiration for me. Asimov wrote constantly. The mythos that surrounds him suggests that he got up early,

… thought
of anything daily.

Daily practice isn’t about volume, nor output, nor streaks, and neither is it about simply filling a calendar. Daily practice is about doing something on repeat, routinely, no matter the mood or state of mind you happen to be in or the place you are at physically, mentally, emotionally, or whatever. Daily practice is about

… thought
on dabbling.

I painted a picture last night and it’s a mess, and I’m fine with that. It’s not a bad painting, per se, but it didn’t quite do what I wanted it to do. Not that I’m sure I could even tell you what it is that I wanted it to do anyways. It was an

… goal
are coffee powered.

I’m sitting here drinking a coffee and waiting for inspiration. We were watching a show last night before bed and one of the characters turned out to be an artist. It was depicted in three ways. He splurted some paint onto a palette. He got a really intense look on his face. And he poured

… thought
see purple mountains.

I live on the prairies, but I’m driving distance to the mountains. When I go to the mountains I like to sketch and paint them, and every time I do I tend to learn a little bit more about mountains, colours, and nature. Mountains, it turns out, are purple. And red. And orange. And green.

… observation
of human perspective.

Your point of view is more important than your equipment. When I spent more time doing photography than painting, I had lots of friends who were more interested in the technical specs of my camera than the photos I took. Those cameras are long gone, but the best of the photos are still cherished pieces.

… observation
of personal style.

Style can be defined many ways, but I think to me it denotes the notion of a personal or distinctive collection of choices that make you… you, and determine how you present yourself to the world. The fashion your choose. Manners you convey. Your attitude to others. The words you say and write. The music

… thought
on burnout.

Lately, I click on nearly every article I see that mentions burnout. If I’m being honest with myself, and having a moment of clarity, I am either (optimistically) recovering from burnout or (pessimistically) in a waning-phase of burnout. I hope it’s the former. I read yet another personal account article about burnout this morning, and

… thought
re:valentine’s day.

It was almost exactly a year ago today that I discovered one of the perks of learning watercolour painting: As it turns out, and if you are so inclined, you can make your own greeting cards. That’s right. I’ve never needed to buy a greeting card since learning to watercolour paint. Paper. Paint. Water. Brush.

… event
in support of journaling.

Though I sometimes fall out of the habit, I find that when I do make a few minutes in my day — each day — to write down a few thoughts, either on paper or into the digital ether the result is cathartic. It’s like free therapy, a receptacle for pent up thoughts and feelings

… idea
regarding supplies.

When we were in New York City late last year we went for a short exploration of the Public Library on 5th street. It is a beautiful old building and they had a free exhibit of really old books. They also had a gift shop. My wife and I met while working at a library.

… gear, thought
about procrastination.

It’s not fair to attribute every lack of motivation to pure procrastination, but knowing when to call a spade a spade, or your lack of attention to your craft simple procrastination, this is as much a talent as any other. I’ve been procrastinating. I’ve been tempted to blame it on the weather (which is cold

… goal
on microblogging.

Daily creativity is hard. Don’t be too hard on yourself for missing small deadlines. Just try to work towards “finished” even if you never actually get there. That said, and while finishing anything is a nice feeling, going to bed each night knowing that you accomplished something (even just something incremental) is probably a better

… thought