When there’s just too much stuff to consume
Oh, hi friends!
There are so many things I want to consume.
Those 14 podcasts. Every longform article. YouTube videos that might contain a kernel of truth. Plays that might burst with a bolt of inspiration. The Netflix series everyone is watching.
There are dinners I want to go to, and people I want to see, and places I want to travel.
When the buffet is limitless, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why some hungry genius invented meals. The same goes for entertainment and inspiration overload.
You can choose what you want to consume, and when, and how much. You won’t ask, How will I ever eat/know/see/learn it all?! if you remember that you’ll be hungry again soon—and your next meal is right around the corner.
“You don’t need more time, you just need to decide.”
Wow. An oldie but a goodie from Seth Godin.
Deciding your priorities casts everything else into sharp relief. You realize you don’t need time to do everything, you only need time for what you decide is important.
Photo by Johannes Plenio from Pexels
A Bit of a Story You Might Want to Read
“For some people, creativity comes out of structure. This is true of jazz, where only by really understanding the structural theory of the music can you take wild flights of fancy. John Coltrane did what he did because he understood the structure. And then there’s the opposite [kind of person]. If you’ve ever seen a photograph of Francis Bacon’s painting studio, oh my gosh, it looks horrible. But you look at that and say sometimes, as people whirl around, the things they manage to grab and bring to them somehow allow their work to be significant.
I fear above all things being derivative. I believe in originality and creativity above everything else. Some people would rather be good than original. I would rather be original than good. If I can be original and good, great. But I’d rather be original and fail. And I find the only way I can do that is by having a certain amount of whirlwind. Not so much that you don’t get anything done, but you’ve gotta have some. You’ve gotta have some whirlwind.” *** Interviewing Alton Brown for Money and hearing about his creative process was clarifying. (Read on to hear his thoughts about what you actually need in the kitchen.) So many high-profile people talk about how they have it all together. How it's effortless. I liked hearing that sometimes a little whirlwind is a good thing.
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara