I’m Attracted To The Evidence Of A Mind At Work

“Go enjoy something that’s raw, pure and unregulated.” Every artist needs an honest canvas. Some platform, be it online or off, where they can go to express themselves without the fear of the red pen. It’s art without editing, and it’s infinitely healthy for the soul. Even if it’s not your primary arena of expression, it’s still a necessary venue for creating meaning. Especially if you have a day job where inhibition is an endangered species. The cool part is, once you taste the sweet nectar of pure creation, once you feel what it feels like to have no artistic restrictions, even if only for a moment, it’s amazing what kinds of doors start to open up. Inspired by a Kevin Smith rant.

“I’m attracted to the evidence of a mind at work.” Since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by the places people do their thinking. Offices, workbenches, cubicles, desks, notebooks, workstations, libraries, art studios––to me, these spaces are sanctuaries. They’re the external sculptures of our internal syntheses. All beautiful and complex and messy in their own way. Matter of fact, this should be a television show. We’ll call it Minds At Work. We’ll travel around the world and interview smart, creative people about their workspaces and the thinking that happens there. Three places per episode. Hour long show. Probably on Discovery. That’s a million dollar idea. Inspired by an interview with Kevin Powers.

“Will the thrill of your passion dissipate once it becomes a daily task?” When you’re an entrepreneur, that’s a very intimidating question. I remember the first time my mentor brought it up. I thought to myself, that’ll never happen to me. How could I ever get burned out on this? I was wrong. Turns out, people who convert their passion into their profession are vulnerable to the bastardization of ambition. It’s one thing to create for the love of creating, it’s another thing to create for the lure of stakeholders. And if you’re not careful, you wind up violating the purity of something you hold dear in the name of business growth. Sheesh. Is any brand that important?  

“A camera is only a tool, what’s important is your eyes and what you see in your head.” Photography is awesome. Not just because you get to wear a cool vest with lots of pockets, but because you get to spot those ephemeral moments, sneak up from behind without a sound, close your palms around them like lightning bugs and release them back into the world. It’s a beautiful process I’ve fallen in love with. Not unlike listening for sentences to take down in my notes, scouring for moments to turn into images has become one of my favorite ways to stay engaged and present with the world. The next step is converting all these photos into some kind of art project. Stay tuned for that.