"Write now is good."

Procrastination, side projects, and following true creative interests

As I work on my school- and work-related projects, I keep a notebook nearby. Sometimes I pause to write down an idea, brainstorm a bit, or sketch something I am trying to figure out or would like to design more completely at a later time. I have notebooks full of these "interruptions," some of which have turned into constructive outcomes: groups that form for creative community and support, an idea to discuss with someone, blog posts, and inspiration for future work.

I used to be annoyed that these interruptions appeared while I was working with intense focus on projects with deadlines. If they were evidence of procrastination, however, I still completed my work on time. If they were a work-stress release, they often resulted in making more work for me at a later time, and I didn't feel stressed about this future work; these interruptions looked fun to work on, and when I returned to re-read them, they inspired me. Some were even related to my current projects in varying ways. Others weren't related at all but still caught my conscious attention.

In this Humble Pied interview by Mig Reyes (graphic designer), Jessica Hische (letterer and illustrator)  talks about her view of other work that interrupts:

 

Hische says, “Whatever work you do when you are procrastinating from other things is probably what you should be doing for the rest of your life.” What do you think? How does this apply to how you work and your creative interests?

Tina Roth Eisenberg, a.k.a. "SwissMiss--a Swiss designer gone NYC," spoke at TYPO San Francisco last April on "The Power of Side Projects and Eccentric Aunts." Watch this video of her talk for additional insights into the importance of side projects in increasing creative momentum and why it is important to work on what interests you and what you love to do. (Here's a link to one of her side projects, Creative Mornings.)

FOWD Talk 2011: The Power of Side Projects and Eccentric Aunts from swissmiss on Vimeo.

Psychologist Howard Gruber devised a theory of creativity around these related projects he calls a "network of enterprise" as part of his "evolving systems approach to creative work." In the book Creative People at Work: Twelve Cognitive Case Studies, Gruber writes:

When we speak of creative work as purposeful, we have in mind a conception of work as complex  human activity organized to achieve specific ends. . . . To describe the pattern of work in the life of a creative individual we have adopted the organizing concept of a “network of enterprise.” We use the term enterprise to stand for a group of related projects and activities. (p. 11)

In the article "Constructive Repetition, Time, and the Evolving Systems Approach," psychology professor Richard Brower, commenting on Gruber's theory, further explains that:

The interconnection of multiple enterprises served at least three important functions for the creative process. First, it allows the person to continue working over time, even though blind alleys are encountered and projects are shelved. Second, it allows for the reorganization of purpose, affect, and knowledge. Third, it allows for increased opportunities for novelty and the potential for the amplification and elaboration of innovative discoveries. (2003, p. 63)

Seemingly random side project ideas and creative procrastination can be full of possibilities. Listen to and record them when they appear, and return to them later to see where they next take you in your creative process.

A city of books, media stacking, and making more room to read

 

Photo: "media stacking" by Will Lion

A few worthwhile finds from my recent Web travels are:

1. Are you a "media stacker"? Read this TimesOnline article "Hello? I'm on the internet - and watching the television" to find out.

2. "The Buzzwords of 2008" is full of overused, wordy gems. On this New York Times' list, you'll find digital cliff, staycation, and Phelpsian, among many others. The article is co-written by Grant Barrett, "a lexicographer specializing in slang and new words, ... co-host of the public radio program 'A Way With Words' and head of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society." Accompanying illustrations by Jessica Hische are witty and original.

3. "This is where we live" is a stop-motion animation of a city made entirely of books. Over 1,000 copies of various books from U.K. publisher 4th Estate were used to make it. From ViaComIT.

4. Make more room to read! Change This and 800CEORead are working together on an innovative benefit for Room to Read. The details:

For $30.00, we are putting together a Mystery Box of three business books. In this box you are guaranteed one title that either won, or made the shortlist for, the best book of 2008 in its category, along with 2 other titles from last year that were submitted for the awards. As a bonus, we will include a copy of this year's In The Books, our annual review of business books. 100% of the purchase will go directly to Room to Read, and we'll cover the shipping on all orders.

Room to Read promotes increased literacy in the developing world by establishing libraries, computer labs and even schools in communities with few educational resources. It is a powerful organization which makes real and lasting positive impact. If you're not familiar with the group, I suggest clicking through and looking at what they do; it is inspiring.

If the Internet is a copy machine, then...

Photo: "You've reached the office of Mr. Copy Machine" by Shoreline 

The opening words of "Better Than Free", a new ChangeThis manifesto by Kevin Kelly, grabbed my attention:

The Internet is a copy machine. At its most foundational level, it copies every action, every character, every thought we make while we ride upon it. In order to send a message from one corner of the Internet to another, the protocols of communication demand that the whole message be copied along the way several times. IT companies make a lot of money selling equipment that facilitates this ceaseless copying. Every bit of data ever produced on any computer is copied somewhere. The digital economy is thus run on a river of copies. Unlike the mass-produced reproductions of the machine age, these copies are not just cheap—they are free...

This made me think back to my pre-Internet days. While listening to a favorite band's song on the radio was free, getting access to that band's entire album usually meant buying it at the record store. Getting access to a new book meant either borrowing it from the library (if other voracious readers hadn't gotten to it first) or purchasing it from a bookstore.

Most people bought newspapers and magazines without reservation. Home delivery subscriptions — right to the front stoop — was often the preferred method of receiving them.

Before we knew what the World Wide Web was, we had free access to creative works, but that free access seemed a lesser alternative to owning an actual copy of that work. If we could afford a record, CD or book, we would buy it, and that money went to the creators — after a long line of creativity-related (sometimes) middling "middlemen" first took their cuts. We fans then had full access to our beloved works; we could listen to or read them at a whim and could share them as we wanted, within strictly defined technology boundaries (e.g., having access to a dual-cassette recorder or a wondrous Xerox machine).

While libraries had copies of periodicals and publications in "reading rooms", they would not let them to be checked out to take home. The only viable way to enjoy a magazine or paper was to buy a copy, and it was affordable.

Seeing how many media outlets now struggle daily to survive, as their collectives staffs work to produce content that Web users now expect to be free — yet costs real money to produce — I read Kelly's treatise very closely. In proposing what is "better than free", he describes "eight uncopyable values".

What are they? You'll have to read his manifesto to find out.

It is a concise, focused read. Solutions for this painful period of media transition are out there, and Kelly's eight "generatives" could be a basis for many of them.

If you create online content, are involved in social media, or just want to catch a glimpse of what the future may hold for media, reading it will be worth your while.

And, if you want to discuss "Better Than Free" after you read it, head back to this post and comment.

Be an AWESOME writer

Last month, I wrote a post about a very insightful and funny YouTube video called "Book Launch 2.0". It features Dennis Cass, an accomplished writer and the author of Head Case, conversing with a phone-friend about the pros and cons of using new and social media to launch books.

For those of you who enjoyed Cass's video also, I've got good news: he has created an online community. Its goal: to make creative people more effective and successful at their creative lives and careers. It is called, appropriately, "Dennis Cass Wants You To Be More Awesome."

DCWYTBMA is a site full of "advice, jokes and tough love for people who want to make a living making culture." Dennis regularly answers members' questions, providing sound advice on a variety of relevant topics. The community is active, full of creatives commenting with additional viewpoints and examples. Plus, he features an "Awesomizer" to help improve creative endeavors; it has made me look at some pop culture mainstays with a fresh perspective.

I strongly believe that participating in writing/creative groups (even online!) can help their participants grow in their work, get unstuck when creative blocks arise, and provide camaraderie and support when the creative road is nothing but potholes and speed traps. (If you have done anything creative ever in your life, then you know the ride can get bumpy...)

While reading Cass's articles and answers, I have laughed out loud many times. Knowledgeable creative-career guidance + original insights + active community + humor = WIN! And if you sign up, I'll see you there.

Creative fire, typewriting monkeys, and Twitter (again)

The weekend approaches. Wondering what to do? Spend some quality Internet time with these writing-related links:

1. "Creative Instinct Is Like Fire." The complete text reads:

Controlled fire gives heat, light, and power which runs the factory machinery or the railway train/
Uncontrolled, it is the cause of untold loss and human suffering/
Are you using or wasting your creative powers?/
Humanity needs your energy wisely directed

This image (dated 1922) is from the University of Minnesota's American Social Hygiene Posters collection (seriously!).

2. We bloggers must keep a sense of humor about ourselves. I laughed when I saw the t-shirt which stated quite bluntly, "No one cares about your blog!" I laughed even harder when I saw this t-shirt: "A new theory of the Internet". Obnoxious t-shirts (featuring monkeys using typewriters) won't hold me back — I will continue to blog, undaunted.

3. Twitter is a veritable writing revolution: "Twitter inspires extra-short short stories" — 140 characters, to be exact. From the Los Angeles Times.

4. Always a sound reminder: the 4 simple steps to the writing process, from MIT''s Online Writing and Communications Center

Got any choice writing/creativity/inspiration/media links to share? Leave a comment, and I'll include them in a future post.

A time machine, at your computer finger tips

This is the kind of historical, graphical and informational resource I've dreamed about. From The New York Times:

TimesMachine can take you back to any issue from Volume 1, Number 1 of The New-York Daily Times, on September 18, 1851, through The New York Times of December 30, 1922. Choose a date in history and flip electronically through the pages, displayed with their original look and feel.

The image above is a snapshot of the NYT front page from 100 years ago today. Mousing over each article produces a small window containing the article's transcribed text for easy reading. Here is one captivating headline from it:

HUGE AIRSHIP FALLS, 16 PASSENGERS HURT; Gas Bag Rips When Machine Is 300 Feet Up in First Attempt to Carry So Many. HAD FAITH IN INVENTOR Neighbors Joined Morrell in Hazardous Trip -- 10,000 See the Drop...

The newspaper features advertisements from the time, which I love because they provide such a clear snapshot of ordinary life. I was surprised to see that The New York Times logo font looks almost the same (if not exactly) as it is now. So many interesting features to notice! I hope the NYT continues to add issues after 1922 in the same format.

Recommended uses: highly justifiable time wasting, background research for works of historical fiction, and getting perspective on the "big picture" (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

The catch: it's available online only to home subscribers of the NYT. However, it can be accessed by everyone at their local library through ProQuest's Digital Vault. The TimesMachine site features only a few teaser issues at the moment.