The function of the artist is the mytholisation of the environment and the world.*
Joseph Campbell

Not all problems, of course, but certainly some,
The kind that bring the best out of me
and grow me as a person.

It’s been said that life is basically coming up with solutions
for one problem after another –
What will I eat?,
My clothes need replacing,
How can I get there on time? …

How can I better serve my customers?
What kind of design will work best?
How to give expression to that idea? –

I’ve been on holiday for a couple of weeks,
Something I really enjoy and feel privileged to have,
But while returning to work takes me back into a different pace of life,
Into a different routine,
I’ll also be returning to some more chewy problems,
The kind that are more satisfying to work on,
The kind that demand more of me.

As storytelling animals,
We have the ability to shape our days to be more
enriching and
fulfilling.

In his book Hero on a Mission
Donald Miller writes about how

In stories, there are four primary characters:

1. The victim is the character who feels they have no way out.
2. The villain is the character who makes others feel small.
3. The hero is the character who faces their challenges and transforms.
4. The guide is the character who helps the hero.**

In our daily stories,
We’ll play each of these characters.
Being aware of this allows us to be less of a victim and villain,
And more of a hero and guide.

*Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers The Power of Myth;
**Donald Miller’s Here on a Mission.

As Rilke says: Hier zu sein is so viel – to be here is immense.*
John O’Donohue

Our life times are specks in the universe, but they are the lowest and only spans of time we will ever know.**
Beth Pickens

The point is to master the habit of showing up.^
James Clear

*John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us;
**Beth Pickens’ Make Your Art No Matter What;
^James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

Imaginations need to be fed or they will starve.

If you’re blessed with imagination, it’s part of your job to bring better images to the world.*
Austin Kleon

*Austin Kleon’s blog: How to talk to someone with a missing imagination.

alacrity/əˈlakrɪti/noun – brisk and cheerful readiness.

Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done and in doing work it is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we invest this energy. Memories, thoughts, and feelings are all shaped by it.*
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

A “flamboyant” worker, exuberant and excited, is willing to risk control over his or her work: machines break down when they lose control, whereas people make discoveries, stumble on happy accidents.**
Richard Sennett

*Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi’s Flow;
**Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman.

Why does confessing to a journal make people feel better? The main benefit of catharsis is that it gives people the opportunity to shape a new narrative.*
Jonah Lehrer

It’s time to let go. It might be time to sacrifice what you love best, so that you might become who you might become, instead of staying who you are.**
Jordan Peterson

*Jonah Lehrer’s A Book About Love;
**Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life.

It is art that sings to us and opens our hearts to one another.  It is art that gives meaning to things that otherwise go unnoticed.  And that connects us to our past.  And that laughs at our hubris and limitations, while speaking to us of the darkness we cannot say out loud.*
Brian Mau

The point of curating trends is to see what others don’t and to predict a future that can inspire new thinking.**
Rohit Bhargava

*Quoted in Warren Berger’s Glimmer;
*Non Obvious 2019.

[T]he human individual lives usually within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energises below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum.*
William James

You are strong, self-sufficient, you make time for reading, thinking, quiet contemplation, meditation, or prayer. This need not cost a penny.**
Tom Hodgkinson

*Quoted in Angela Duckworth’s Grit;
**Tom Hodgkinson’s Business for Bohemians.

When someone combines generosity, insight and bravery to provide something before know that’s what we need, we are particularly grateful.*
Seth Godin

What could be better than humour and compassion and the savour of life?  What could be better than that man’s work should become the world’s freedom, and man’s enjoyment the world’s perfecting.**
M. C. Richards

*Seth Godin’s blog: Not what we asked form but just what we needed;
**M. C. Richards’ Centering.

It’s tempting to dumb down your work, or go for a shortcut or a quick hit. Worst of all, to simply give up. Please don’t.*
Seth Godin

I swapped “work” in the quote for “story;”
It holds an important message.

*Seth Godin’s blog: Crickets.

The perfectionist desires an outcome that can never be achieved. That’s why they’re a perfectionist–to hide behind the impossible.*
Seth Godin

*Seth Godin’s blog: Perfect is not the same as perfectionism.