Driving my self insane...(+ new format! kinda?)


Read time: ~ 2 min. of your LIFE

[Issue #20240222]


Reader! It's been awhile, eh?

Hey, my friend!

I hope all is well.

This is the first newsletter back since the whole "rebranding" thing (which is still kinda happening).

I hope you enjoy this new format (you might not even notice a difference).


I try not to expect things.

It drives me insane.

That's why I developed Edict #5 of The Imaginator's Manifesto (remember that?):

"We are past caring about whether or not it's going to work out for us."

It's not that I'm not confident in my abilities.

At this point, I'm pretty damn confident.

And that's the problem.

When you develop competency, your confidence grows, and you begin to subconsciously expect things to go your way.

But life runs on its own accord.

Even if you deserve it more than anyone else (how could you even know that?), life will show you that you don't deserve a damn thing.

So why am I talking about this?

Well, recently, I've received signs.

Inklings of something promising on the horizon.

I'm starting to get excited, but I'm also getting ahead of myself.

I'm waiting for the good news as if the good news is guaranteed.

I want this thing so bad, Reader, and I'm praying it works out.

I'm trying to "manifest" it or something.

I'm ready for it.

So ready.

I just need the chance.

The mere chance.

The opportunity.

Wish me luck, Reader.

Pray for me.

Send good vibes.

However you do it...

I could use it (lol).

I hope I get to share great news with you all so I can also tell you how I did it.

Anywho, let's get into today's newsletter.

True self-care starts here:


3 SELF-MASTERY/CREATIVITY TIPS


I. "Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow"

This is what a great musician once said to me, and it's always on my mind.

It's easy to get caught up in the fear, the doubt, the worry, the expectation.

You're pursuing something so meaningful to you without any guarantee of it working out.

You're constantly assessing the gap from where you are to where you want to be.

To think about anything but the art itself is to hinder the potential of the art.

Each time you get caught up in obsessing about the future, remember to focus on the now.

Focus on the craft.

Our only job is to be better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.


II. The world is materially worse off without your art...

“The way mad scientists, and great entrepreneurs, view the world is that their idea must exist and that a world without it is materially worse off.” — Keith B. Nowak

What Nowak articulates here is ridiculously dead-on, and I think this applies to creatives too.

If you are serious about your art and sharing it with as many people as possible, you have to think this way.

Or else, you'll never approach it with the force it needs.


III. Sherry Ning on Procrastination

Sherry Ning is one of my favorite writers, and she's always spitting straight facts:

Tomorrow doesn't exist, Imaginator.

Get after it!


MY CREATIVE CORNER

~ 1 min. read

BIG NEWS:
(I also announced that I'm the resident composer @ Slightly American Productions on LinkedIn and Facebook.
But...
If you've been reading this newsletter for a minute now, you've already been privy to this information :)
Check out my recent Medium articles:
Popular post of the week:
Music I'm listening to:
I've been listening non-stop to Jahari Stampley's "Power" (my friend, Jeremiah Collier, on the drums!)
video preview

Let's connect on socials:


Get your FREE resource:

The Creator's Handbook to Fulfillment: 34 Principles to Help You Design the Life of Your Dreams

(For more of my content, consider joining Medium through my affiliate link!)

Unsubscribe (AH!) | Preferences

THE IMAGINATOR CONGLOMERATE, L.L.C. | 2501 Chatham Rd Ste N, Springfield, Illinois 62704

The Imaginator Conglomerate

Every Thursday, creatives like you are getting their rightful dose of creativity/self-mastery tips that aren't toilet water. Join a conglomerate of BIG dreams and go-getters:

Read more from The Imaginator Conglomerate

Read time: ~ please read or skim this—it's wildly important!!! [Issue #20240425] [Today's newsletter is super important as I have a lot of things to tell you about the brand. I'd appreciate it if you read to the end!] Reader, HI!! It's been a while, eh? Have you even noticed? (It's okay if not...) Truth be told, there's not much of an excuse. I simply didn't...feel like it. For weeks. I dreaded writing this newsletter. But here's why: I'm changing my approach. By that, I mean I'm slowly...

Read time: ~ 4 min. 30 sec. of your LIFE [Issue #20240328] I realize it takes me much longer to finish tasks than the time I allot for them. Especially the projects that are "worth it". The ones that set your soul on fire. The ones that require deep work. For me, that's composing. Over the past few days, I made a push to finish up a long-overdue clarinet sonata (personal project). I had about 2/3 left to go in the third movement + polishing the score up and such. I thought it'd take a day or...

Read time: ~ 2 min. of your LIFE [Issue #20240321] I just finished reading Cal Newport's new book. It's called Slow Productivity. The book was appealing to me because anything by Newport is appealing to me. But the title struck me also. As "busy" as I've been lately, this book sounded like something I needed now. I'm a firm believer that if a book isn't aligning with your current season in life, you shouldn't force yourself to read it. You can put a book down if it's not for you. As for this...