Twin boys. Toddler daughter. Hospital Tech Support. Writer. Runner. Gamer. Creating in public again.*

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Creating

Under the Hood

Looks good! What are you using under the hood?

The website is running on Blot:

A tool that turns a folder into a website. A simple way to publish to the internet— just drag and drop your files. Designed to work with the tools you already use, like your favorite text editor. For over a decade, people have used Blot to share their ideas and projects online.

Even though Blot is handling the backend of the website, that side of what’s happening is invisible to me. The only thing I see are my folders in Ulysses. These two paired together have been my workflow for about a decade now. It’s seamless and allows me to create on the fly from my phone.

Other than knowing that the folders in Ulysses are pointing to an iCloud Drive folder that Blot connects to, and the template I’m running on Blot is heavily customized by me and my friend Jay Ray (we’re still doing adjustments on the fly as I start building again), it really is that simple.

Custom Shoes

I customized my own shoes and been wearing them every day since. A few weeks ago, I turned some all white converse into some teal ones (my favorite color). When they were white, I’d put them on to wear them, but then take them off soon after because the white clashed with all of my outfits. I knew that a neutral color was the answer.

After doing some research, I noticed how simple this process would be to dye them. I filled up a large container with hot water from the bathtub, poured the entire bottle of Rit dye into the container, and then mixed it with some dishwashing liquid. I then pulled the strings off the shoes and then let the shoes soak in the container for an hour.

After that hour, I took the shoes outside to let them dry in the sun for a few hours. Once they were dry, I washed them in the washing machine, using the cold option. Once they were washed, I placed them outside in the sun once again to let them dry completely.

That’s it. Now I have my own custom shoes that feel personal to me. I took something that was left behind and forgotten, and transformed it into something that is now used daily.

My Laboratory

I decided to build a new website to tell stories again—a place where the smallest ideas or the biggest ones can live. Time is much more limited now for me, so being efficient with that time is critical.

I need a foundation for everything I share online. Whether it’s photos, videos, playlists, books, music, video games, podcasts, or productivity advice, I need a home that’s prepared for it all.

The online world and social media are worse than they’ve ever been, and even at their best, you’re still spread across a dozen locations. That’s where having your own home on the internet comes in: a website that ties it all together. A central hub for everything you share.

This is my laboratory.

Nesting

The last time I was creating was when we first found out we were expecting twins. I stopped building for a while. Reflecting back now, it was probably a season of nesting for me. But now that they’re here and healthy, I’m getting the itch to create again.

I have several ideas on what to do next. I could’ve worked on these separate from the site, and even in private like I’ve been doing the last few months, but it felt right to have my website back to normal, as a laboratory for all the ideas. I look forward to documenting my life again, in new and creative ways.

Make Gifts

The easiest and most fulfilling way to use our creativity is to make gifts for someone. Whether you’re a writer, singer, photographer, etc. — use your talents to make someone something. The simplest things would be special to someone else. Austin Kleon taught me that in his book Keep Going. It’s time to start using that advice again. What is something you can make this week for someone? I’ll be thinking of the same thing.

A conversation with Jeff Goins

I had a conversation with Jeff Goins last week. I reached out to him, and to my surprise, he offered me so much wisdom on life and the creative life. My plan is to print out the entire conversation and study it.

Two initial thoughts:

  1. Reach out to someone and discuss the smallest things. Thoughts and advice from others helps you with your blindspots.
  2. Attempt to reach out to people that are more successful and more well known than you. They’re people like us, but most people shy away from trying to have a conversation with them. We’re missing out on so much insight by not allowing those who walked the trail already to help us on our path.

Breakthrough or Breakdown?

I wrote about this in a post this week: but I’ll summarize here. Last week, I feel like I finally had the breakthrough I was looking for as a writer. Two years of waiting for it to happen, and it finally did. But as the creativity poured in, so did the anxiety. The best way to describe it is a week-long anxiety attack. It took many days, and many conversations to work through this. I believe it brought me here, to now, to this perfect balance and schedule to create AND be present.

New Videos, New Format

What I’ve been able to build with videos this week is what I’m most excited about. I’ve stumbled on a new way to create something I love.

Let me explain:

  • I’m using Instagram Stories: the new trendy way to make vertical videos (and photos) that disappear 24 hours later. BUT I’m not using it how it’s intended.

  • I’m also using the Highlights feature that lets you save them in your profile so they live forever.

  • A few other twists to this: the video clips can only be 15 seconds. So I’m taking two minute videos and chopping them up so they fit inside of this format.

  • The last piece to this puzzle: I’m not making the videos vertical. You’ll have to turn your phone sideways to watch these.

Here’s the videos