The life and times of Isaac Dust
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I catch up with myself after a bit of a podcast hiatus, reminisce about awkward first dates, and reflect on some recent creative endeavors.
References:
Green Desk Studios
Digitech SDrum
Letters to Old Bob
“Isaac Dust” by Jon Brien
While sipping my coffee this morning, I stumbled across this tweet by a guy named Daniel Holland (@DannyDutch):
As far as I can tell this is the creative process for most people –
1. This is brilliant
2. This is tricky
3. This is shit
4. I am shit
5. This might be ok
6. I’m now interested in the next project more than I am this one.
Painfully true, in my case. Especially that last bit about moving on to the next project, and especially with regard to musical “ideas.” I literally have hundreds of “song ideas” – by which I mean quick, in-the-moment lo-fi recordings to capture a riff, melody, or chord progression – stretching back decades. Already, this month alone, I’ve generated at least ten of these nuggets of inspiration. I can hardly keep track of them. And I can hardly keep my attention focused on one of them long enough to drag and drop the file into the archives, and certainly not long enough to actually develop the idea and record a proper song. It’s just so much easier to move on to the next thing, await the next moment of inspiration. I must get past this!
Reminds me of a video by Ransby about “Being a better creator” that I too-quickly forgot about:
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I notice that the path upon which I’ve been traveling for the past twenty years or so just might be a loop. Maybe I’ll pay better attention this time around.
Stuff referenced in this podcast:
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I push through some resistance by talking about pushing through resistance.
Since I’ve been putting some of the HTG Podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, I decided to record a video version of this episode. I may or may not continue to do this for future episodes, but nonetheless, here’s the video for Episode 13:
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I ponder what it means to keep the creative fires burning throughout different stages of life, maybe even right up to the end. Or maybe not. Henry Miller chimes in from his death bed, and Jeff Mangum tells us about a sad little man who wrote atonal rock operas that no one understood.
Related media:
– Henry Miller, “Alive to the end”:
– Cover of “April 8th”:
– Neutral Milk Hotel album art:
I’ve been feeling down and out — on the creative front — following an exhausting (but enjoyable) vacation back east to visit family. I just can’t seem to get back on the horse and move forward on any of my projects (writing, podcast, music, etc.), and my bad habits and poor choices are leading me back into an amotivational abyss. Fortunately, I had the wherewithal yesterday to listen to Maria Popova (of the Brain Pickings blog) respond to listener questions on the Tim Ferriss Podcast. Here are a few gems Maria offered that lifted my spirits:
Write for yourself… Creating something that is rewarding and sustainable over the long run requires, most of all, keeping yourself excited about it… The key to being interesting is being interested, and being enthusiastic about those interests. That’s contagious.
Don’t think about your writing as “content.” There’s nothing more toxic to the creation of meaningful cultural material, whatever its medium, than the term “content.” “Content” is something you produce and purvey to other people that becomes currency for advertising and whatnot, and not something that you do for yourself. Nobody does “content” for the joy of their soul. And the second you start thinking of your writing as “content,” you’ve altered the motive. You’re no longer writing for yourself.
Consistency is the key to becoming a great artist in any given field. Showing up, day in and day out, rain or shine. Whether an artist is experiencing agonizing self-doubt or the intoxicating elation of being in love, whatever it is they’re feeling, they still show up. They still face the blank page, the empty canvas, the fresh roll of film, every day. And they do their thing. This doggedness is a deep love of the work, a deep need to do the work in order to feel alive. If you’re looking for a formula for greatness, the closest we’ll ever get, I think, is this: consistency driven by a deep love of the work.
In this episode of the Head The Gong Podcast, I do what I do best — struggle to express myself authentically.
Here’s a blast from the past that strikes a similar chord: Hi, My name is Bob, and I’m a struggler
It’s a two-handed stranglehold I’ve got going on: On the one hand, I struggle to get in touch with my deepest and most authentic intentions. And on the other hand, once I do get plugged in and grounded, I have a devil of a time staying on track once the initial wave of inspiration passes and I’m confronted by the fears and distractions that inevitably crop up.
So, what if I give up the struggle? Who drives the bus then—the devil or the angel? Or does it just veer off the road and land in a ditch somewhere? Does it really matter? Do all roads lead to the same place in the end?
