It sounds simple, but if you’re feeling a bit stuck creatively, a great place to turn is collaboration. Feeding off someone else’s energy and riffing on each other’s ideas can reinvigorate your process and push your boundaries into paths you don’t usually tread. Ways to collaborate Collaboration comes in so many forms that the only … More On Collaboration
It’s well known that the life of an artist can be solitary if you let it. Creativity often requires looking inward, which often also means forgetting to look up, out, around. It can turn into an echo chamber: an idea strikes, you pursue it and explore it and rework it, and if you fall in … More Feedback is a gift
A few days before the end of September I put a poll on my Instagram Story: Should I do a prompt list? Months earlier, running out of steam on my 100 Day Project, I had turned to prompts on Instagram–primarily geared towards poetry–to keep me motivated and fueled for daily creation. It was so helpful to me … More More than just a whirlwind: What I learned from hosting a month of poetry prompts
When lockdown began, I assumed I’d be erased of all inspiration and creativity. In the Before Times, I always sought inspiration from novelty (traveling to new cities or exploring unfamiliar streets in my own) and observation (eavesdropping in public or basking in art installations). Almost all of those experiences vanished in lockdown, so I figured my creative expression would … More Finding inspiration in lockdown
I don’t know how exactly old I was when I started losing interest in holidays and other special dates. I’ve been uninterested in Christmas for at least five years, if not more like ten by now. Many of my birthdays have been unremarkable at best. Valentine’s Day – whether single or in a relationship – has … More How to get married in a pandemic
In the latest 99% Invisible podcast episode, host Roman Mars acknowledges the strange new world of self-quarantining with a tranquil ode to the little-known stories behind the ordinary objects in our homes. He tells listeners about the historical connotations between windows and wealth, the cultural associations between fans and death, and the rise and fall of … More You recognize that this is noise, right?
One of my biggest strengths and weaknesses is that I err on the side of caution. With big ideas, I like to ruminate for awhile, explore their many facets, and rework plans a few times before diving in fully. In this case, the idea to start a newsletter has been simmering on my idea stove … More What do Chicago and SpongeBob have in common?
If you look at my Goodreads “want-to-read” list chronologically, it’s a pretty fascinating archive of what was most important to me in each year of my recent history. The list never stops growing for a few reasons: 1) there are always more books than there is time to read them; 2) I have a tendency … More Culling My TBR List and My Obligations to My Past Selves
Learning shouldn’t stop just because we’ve earned a degree, but it may look a little bit different than listening to a professor’s lecture or making study guides from textbook material. … More Leaving the Classroom and Learning from the World
“Work-life balance isn’t a teeter-totter. It doesn’t have to be 50-50. It can be 60-40 if you really value your career, or 40-60 if you’re focused on family, but you need to have a work-life balance.” The words of the Women in Business panelist resonated with me deeply. I cringe when I hear public relations professionals … More Why Work-Life Balance is Crucial
