Love the idea "the new needs friends". Reminds me of the Steinbeck line: "We are lonesome animals. We spend all of our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say-and to feel- ‘Yes, that is the way it is, or at least that is the way I feel it.’ You’re not as alone as you thought."
LANCE. I love this. Thank you so much for these excellent words from Steinbeck. Whew. Will be chewing on that for a while. It speaks so perfectly what I'm learning more and more as I step into sharing writing, illustration, speaking, and art of any kind. So good. Thank you. Truly.
I am always trying to “be me” which I find is unique and different from other people. I do not do what other people are doing. I can only imagine if I put my head together with someone else who is just trying to be themselves what a new thing that would create.
Love this, Brad. I hadn’t heard this story before, and I’ve now folded it up and put it safely in my inspirations box, for referral to and sharing later. Thank you for sharing. And illustrating - I love the illustrations.
How we come up with the new, and how these stories and projects emerge and come into being, really fascinates me. Something about creation itself, how it works as and through us. I think we do a lot of work to bring ideas into being, but I also suspect that ideas have their own energy too.
And someone doing “the impossible”, making something that didn’t exist before they had the vision and brought it into physical being, always catches my attention.
I’m feeling in a similar place. I know what I’m doing doesn’t look like what my previous teachers or people who are doing things now have done, although I’m greatly inspired by them and their work. And I’m just beginning to see the possibilities, and the beauty, of doing something that’s not been done before, and letting myself do this.
I’ve been greatly inspired by Chris Carter, from The X-Files, who was inspired by watching Kolchak, and Eric Kripke, creator of Supernatural, who was inspired by The X Files, and Good Omens, and American urban legends. They both created series that were genre but absolute redefined genre TV and became something much bigger than the sum of their parts. Much like Indy has. And I think that’s amazing.
That’s what I’m exploring right now (and just took a break from to read this article.) Wishing I had a Spielberg to bounce things off! And I’ve also accepted that sitting with my notebook, is maybe the right partner for me right now. (Although not as fun, I think!)
Sandi! YES! Wouldn't it be nice to have Spielberg as a beach retreat pal? Thankfully, having a visionary director as a friend isn't required to create beautiful things (though it can help. Ha.) I, too. am fascinated by the creative process! The more things I make, the more I'm in awe of anything anyone has made. We furnish one another's imaginations with possibilities all the time. It's wonderful to see where it can lead. Interesting you mention genre TV as it's a great example of ideas in conversation with each other over time. One of my favorite essays is "The Fantastic Imagination" by George MacDonald (written in 1893) and he speaks to the brilliance of fairy stories and mythic tales. It was one of the many inspirations for my book "The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination'. We're all little sparks to each other's imaginations! Thank you for taking a break from your explorations to read and share.
Kim, I'm grateful this found you. As you navigate that tension and seek clarity, I hope you find so much presence, purpose, and peace. Cheering for you.
Love the caption, "Be who you needed when you were younger" and am actively working to be that person. Thank you, Brad, for your tireless and often thankless efforts to raise the beam for all of us. I love your newsletters and the work you are doing!
Brad: I'm blown away that you responded to my comment. Count me as the one who is honored and deeply encouraged. Knowing that there are people like you is beyond refreshing!
Thank you for that story! You inspire and validate the need for retreat. My hubby and I take retreats often. They happen when we spend quality quiet time in nature. Retreat could be our back yard, a walk in a park or on the lakeshore. The common ingredient is supporting each other in the brainstorming process. Hmmm, checks…with questions are later. The questions can be-who do we know that has a table saw, what kind of glue to use, where will we store those things needed, do we have the breadth of time and energy right now or is this a sketch in the “Let’s ponder that, notebook” It’s in the supporting each other, stretching our gifts & starting something new/different that creativity continues to flourish! Thank you for all you do to encourage us!
“Who do we know that has a table saw?” Haha! I love it. Now that’s an idea I want to know more about! We’d be missing out on so much if creative hearts like yours stayed stuck in the usual and didn’t dig for fresh new directions to explore! Thanks for the encouraging note. Off to find a table saw.
Right!?!? I need some Space Bear merch even just for myself! Have been working on a few more Space Bear videos (but they take me SO long to draw). Hopefully once I've got those, I can start making me some shirts and stickers with the guy on it! Grateful to know I'm not alone!
Definitely not alone. Space Bear's story reminds me of what I used to do when I was around your daughter's age. I've been telling stories for a long time. 😁
Fascinating, Jeanne. Thanks for sharing. I love how certain posts or ideas can unlock all sorts of memories for us. What an adventure you’re in the midst of! Cheering for you.
Love the idea "the new needs friends". Reminds me of the Steinbeck line: "We are lonesome animals. We spend all of our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say-and to feel- ‘Yes, that is the way it is, or at least that is the way I feel it.’ You’re not as alone as you thought."
LANCE. I love this. Thank you so much for these excellent words from Steinbeck. Whew. Will be chewing on that for a while. It speaks so perfectly what I'm learning more and more as I step into sharing writing, illustration, speaking, and art of any kind. So good. Thank you. Truly.
I am always trying to “be me” which I find is unique and different from other people. I do not do what other people are doing. I can only imagine if I put my head together with someone else who is just trying to be themselves what a new thing that would create.
A noble quest, friend! Keep being you and keep creating.
Love this, Brad. I hadn’t heard this story before, and I’ve now folded it up and put it safely in my inspirations box, for referral to and sharing later. Thank you for sharing. And illustrating - I love the illustrations.
How we come up with the new, and how these stories and projects emerge and come into being, really fascinates me. Something about creation itself, how it works as and through us. I think we do a lot of work to bring ideas into being, but I also suspect that ideas have their own energy too.
And someone doing “the impossible”, making something that didn’t exist before they had the vision and brought it into physical being, always catches my attention.
I’m feeling in a similar place. I know what I’m doing doesn’t look like what my previous teachers or people who are doing things now have done, although I’m greatly inspired by them and their work. And I’m just beginning to see the possibilities, and the beauty, of doing something that’s not been done before, and letting myself do this.
I’ve been greatly inspired by Chris Carter, from The X-Files, who was inspired by watching Kolchak, and Eric Kripke, creator of Supernatural, who was inspired by The X Files, and Good Omens, and American urban legends. They both created series that were genre but absolute redefined genre TV and became something much bigger than the sum of their parts. Much like Indy has. And I think that’s amazing.
That’s what I’m exploring right now (and just took a break from to read this article.) Wishing I had a Spielberg to bounce things off! And I’ve also accepted that sitting with my notebook, is maybe the right partner for me right now. (Although not as fun, I think!)
Sandi! YES! Wouldn't it be nice to have Spielberg as a beach retreat pal? Thankfully, having a visionary director as a friend isn't required to create beautiful things (though it can help. Ha.) I, too. am fascinated by the creative process! The more things I make, the more I'm in awe of anything anyone has made. We furnish one another's imaginations with possibilities all the time. It's wonderful to see where it can lead. Interesting you mention genre TV as it's a great example of ideas in conversation with each other over time. One of my favorite essays is "The Fantastic Imagination" by George MacDonald (written in 1893) and he speaks to the brilliance of fairy stories and mythic tales. It was one of the many inspirations for my book "The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination'. We're all little sparks to each other's imaginations! Thank you for taking a break from your explorations to read and share.
As I am sitting here contemplating how much longer I really want to do this job... Excellent timing!
Kim, I'm grateful this found you. As you navigate that tension and seek clarity, I hope you find so much presence, purpose, and peace. Cheering for you.
Free cup!
Love the caption, "Be who you needed when you were younger" and am actively working to be that person. Thank you, Brad, for your tireless and often thankless efforts to raise the beam for all of us. I love your newsletters and the work you are doing!
Janel! What a kind note. Truly. "raise the beam". I can't tell you how much this means to me. Honored and deeply encouraged.
Brad: I'm blown away that you responded to my comment. Count me as the one who is honored and deeply encouraged. Knowing that there are people like you is beyond refreshing!
Thank you for that story! You inspire and validate the need for retreat. My hubby and I take retreats often. They happen when we spend quality quiet time in nature. Retreat could be our back yard, a walk in a park or on the lakeshore. The common ingredient is supporting each other in the brainstorming process. Hmmm, checks…with questions are later. The questions can be-who do we know that has a table saw, what kind of glue to use, where will we store those things needed, do we have the breadth of time and energy right now or is this a sketch in the “Let’s ponder that, notebook” It’s in the supporting each other, stretching our gifts & starting something new/different that creativity continues to flourish! Thank you for all you do to encourage us!
“Who do we know that has a table saw?” Haha! I love it. Now that’s an idea I want to know more about! We’d be missing out on so much if creative hearts like yours stayed stuck in the usual and didn’t dig for fresh new directions to explore! Thanks for the encouraging note. Off to find a table saw.
Where's the Space Bear sticker?
Right!?!? I need some Space Bear merch even just for myself! Have been working on a few more Space Bear videos (but they take me SO long to draw). Hopefully once I've got those, I can start making me some shirts and stickers with the guy on it! Grateful to know I'm not alone!
Definitely not alone. Space Bear's story reminds me of what I used to do when I was around your daughter's age. I've been telling stories for a long time. 😁
Thank you for sharing, Brad!
Grateful for you, Marc!
Fascinating, Jeanne. Thanks for sharing. I love how certain posts or ideas can unlock all sorts of memories for us. What an adventure you’re in the midst of! Cheering for you.