You = What you focus on

Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love - is the sum of what you focus on - Winifred Gallagher (Rapt)

As a creator I’ve often felt that what we consume the most is also what we are inclined to create. This is a minuscule observation in comparison with Gallagher’s but something that is directly relevant to the creative process.

The reason there is such enthusiasm about creating films when one is in film school is because consciously or unconsciously one is surrounded in the atmosphere of film-making. Watching a lot of films, talking about films, helping others craft a process, etc. But the same enthusiasm that gushes like a waterfall runs to a trickle as soon as the environment is taken away from the person. Once outside in the regular world, one is surrounded by regular things. Instead of watching films that inspire you or surrounding yourself with art or books, one finds themselves in an environment that is mediocre and not conducive to creativity. It becomes really important then as to how one crafts their environment and what habits they put in place. The crutches of external motivation are off and the choice is to create a ritual to keep functioning or to bite the dust.

While creating the process too, its important what one focuses on. If someone like me desires to create animation films, I should form a regular habit of consuming animation and studying it. If its art, one must immerse themselves in the art they love and respect. If its business, one must learn to look at the various ways the craft of commerce is executed and so on.

Conversely, we are in a generation where algorithmic feeds rule our choices. They make us consume things we didn’t even know existed. Our focus consistently thwarted from one area to the other brings us to this state of confusion where we don’t know what we love anymore, feel anymore or think anymore. To take it from Gallagher, we don’t even know who we are anymore. The remedy to this is simple to execute but hard to fathom.

On Mocking

A person who has grown habitual to mocking, imprisons himself by his words of derision.

The words he uses to elevate the failings of others

create a colossal fear of failing inside of him.

Driving him numb towards any possibility of exploration and thus freedom.

Writing - Caring - Boredom

Some reflections from Austin Kleon’s discussion with Rob Walker

Writing is crystallizations of thoughts in a particular time

We often tend to think of the written word to be relevant for eternity. But in fact every written word is a thought that is relevant depending on the context of the time. With time and situations, thoughts change and the written word can lose its efficacy or relevancy.

Caring for something, you can fall in love with it.

We like to think that we need to be in love with something to care about it. Where in fact it runs both ways, if we decide to take care of one thing dearly, we can eventually in love with it. There is a physical and emotional investment in the things we decide to care about that can bring about love in our relationship to that thing. Find something to care about.

Smartphones are the anti-boredom machines of the worst kind.

Its important to be bored. More so for the creative as boredom allows for the mind to consolidate the thoughts and allows you to be present in the moment. It brings the learnings of the past clarity and fuses it with things that can be done in the present. Its easy to kill boredom by taking out your phone but with boredom one kills its benefits too.