July 9, 2019

What am i doing differently?

Let’s face it, these days, it’s easy to be the same. To conform. To take a nice, comfy seat high up on the bell curve of what’s ‘on trend’. If I want to buy some new clothes, it’s easy for me to pull up a Pinterest board and see, in an instant, what the world is wearing. If I want to plan a picture-perfect wedding, the same is true. But, if we’re all looking at the same thing, reading the same information, looking at the same style, then we’re probably, eventually, going to think the same. If we’re thinking the same, we’re probably going to create the same things. That’s boring.

To think differently, we need to act differently. We need to ask ourselves, what am I doing differently to everyone else? If people are no longer letting boredom into their life, if they aren’t staring out the window, if they’re all listening to podcasts while they’re doing passive activities like cooking or vacuuming, if passive activities are now ‘wasting time’, and a thing to be avoided, then maybe I’ll ‘waste’ some time. Maybe I’ll stare out of a window for a while. Maybe I’ll shut off the incessant sound of podcasts in my ears. Maybe I’ll do exactly that, and see what happens.

Other observations
June 3, 2025

The secondary job

Am I a software designer who practices art ‘on the side’ or is it the other way around?

May 27, 2025

Mis en place

Might I make better work if, at the end of everyday, I put everything back in its place – just like they do in commercial kitchens?

May 20, 2025

Artificial intelligence and art

Are artists under threat from generative artificial intelligence? Or is the ‘competition’ we see just misunderstood?

May 13, 2025

It ain’t gonna draw itself

What happens to an idea if I’m too scared to draw it? If I don’t feel skilled enough? If I’m just not ready?

May 6, 2025

Like a machine

Should artists aspire for robotic-like accurate and consistency like those who are the best in their sport?

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