2 Tasty Financial Treats You Might Enjoy

“The Trick to Money is Having Some” - (the title of a great book by Stuart Wilde)

Hey you guys, this week I found two really cool resources about money management and investing and thought I’d pass them along to you, because as we all know, money and creativity DO mix!

1. Cameron Reilly, creator of The Podcast Network and host of G’day World, interviewed his friend Steve, founder of a company called Rentoid out of Austrailia. Steve is quite savvy about investing and shares simple, down-to-earth investing principals for beginners. Listen, learn, and laugh, here. (It’s available via streaming audio or you can download it for repeated listenings.)

2. While walking through Barnes & Noble the other day, an eye-grabbing book title stopped me cold and made me laugh. (You already know how important I think a good title is.) The book is called, You’re Poor Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead by Larry Winget. It’s a no-nonsense, no B.S. wake-up call, and I’m relating to more than a few things in it!

Hope you enjoy!

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

You’ve probably heard about Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who gave his now famous Last Lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died a few days ago.

What an amazing and inspirational guy. He spent the last year of his life sharing his journey and inspiring millions of people to live fully.

Here he is on Oprah, talking about fulfilling childhood dreams:

“Truckin’, like the do-da man…” - The Grateful Dead

I love turning mundane moments into creative opportunities, don’t you?

Three weeks ago I was in my car, idling at a stoplight, when a huge truck pulled alongside me. I generally don’t like trucks. They’re big, they’re loud, and they block my view. But this particular truck was art on wheels; colorful, reflective, composed of bold shapes and sleek lines. It was awesome.

For days after, I kept noticing trucks and how creative and cool they are. It occurred to me that trucks are the vehicles that carry millions of people along their creative journeys.

It gave me an idea:

Everytime a truck pulled up next to me in traffic, I would take a picture of it with my iPhone.

My only rule was that destiny had to bring the trucks to me, to a full stop, and I had to be in my car, stuck in traffic.

So here are 8 trucks that destiny brought my way these past few weeks:

It might amuse you to know that one of the truck drivers saw me snapping photos of his truck and yelled at me. He had one tooth. He shouted, “Can I help you??!” to which I responded accordingly, in the spirit of my project: “Truck you!”

[When you’re stuck in traffic, do you stay creative? My little truck game sure did make gridlock a lot more fun and the time fly! Thoughts? Leave a comment!]

So today is my birthday, and below are my Top 10 creative excuses for taking the day off from blogging:

10. There are so many candles on my cake, the cafe has become a fire hazard.

9. Thirty-nine trips around the sun makes a man tired.

8. I’m waiting patiently by the mailbox for your gifts to arrive.

7. I never drink and post.

6. I keep getting frosting on the keyboard.

5. The clown will be here any second.

4. No internet access at the brothel.

3. It’s hard to blog and dance at the same time.

2. Here are the keys to the cafe. Hang out as long as you like, lock up when you’re done.

…And my number one creative excuse for not blogging today?…

1. I didn’t think you’d want me to blog in my birthday suit!

[We will return to our regularly scheduled inspiring posts soon enough. Until then, thank you all for being part of this cafe. It’s the best gift you could give me - your time, attention, feedback, and appreciation. Thank you!]

Do you have a particular creative goal? A destination you want to reach?

Are you enjoying every step along the journey?

You might appreciate this:

Last Friday I took the ‘day off’ and went to Martha’s Vineyard. My goal - my ultimate intention - was to reach a beach at Gay Head (Aquinnah) where colorful cliffs loom over the sea.

That was my goal for the day; get to that beach.

But I noticed something along the way: every step getting there - and back - was exciting, even if it was ‘boring’.

For example:

1. Buying a ticket to get on the ferry was kind of exciting. So was waiting for the ferry to arrive (I sketched people).

2. Being on the ferry itself, with all the excited people, was kind of exciting.

3. Cruising out of the harbor (starting the journey) was exciting. So was noticing the names of boats we passed (which gave me an idea for a future post).

4. Arriving at Martha’s Vineyard - exciting.

5. Finding the restaurant my friend told me about - the one that served great fish tacos - exciting.

6. Catching the shuttle bus to Edgartown was exciting (we passed a beach where they filmed Jaws).

7. Seeing my book on a shelf at the Edgartown bookstore was exciting.

8. Arriving at my destination - Aquinnah - was exciting.

9. Walking the mile-long path to get to the beach was exciting. The path cuts through grassy dunes and bushes filled with flowers and butterflies. (You can hear the ocean…anticipation builds.)

10. Finally, reaching the beach itself. Awesome!

But wait - the journey doesn’t end there!

11. Leaving the beach, the old bus driver told me his life story. Like how he almost died - should have died - 3 times in his life, but didn’t. He once drowned. He got shot in the heart! He survived a terminal cancer diagnosis…

He said God must have a reason for keeping him around - maybe so he can help others in some small way - give them strength, or comfort, or help them appreciate life in general, the way he does.

I tipped him five bucks, but his stories were worth the whole trip.

Granted, a day on Martha’s Vineyard doesn’t give a man a lot to complain about. Life is filled with challenge and hardship in many places around the world. I guess my point is, sometimes we get so fixated on getting our prize that we dismiss the amazing things that happen along the way.

It’s about the journey, not the destination, as they say. I thought of how true this was as the ferry carried this lucky boy away from the Vineyard, with the orange sun setting on the water.

What a beautiful ride.

Your thoughts? Leave a comment.

“Self-trust is the first secret of success.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

How secure are you in your creativity?

Do you need others to tell you you’re good?

There’s a line in the novel The Fountainhead that I love. The protagonist, maverick architect Howard Roark - the embodiment of self-confidence - shows one of his drawings to a sculptor, Mallory, who he wants to hire.

Roark asks, “Like it?” to which Mallory responds, “Don’t use stupid words.”

Until that moment, Roark never came close to needing validation or approval. His artistic vision is iron-clad. He will not bend or make alterations. He knows he’s good. Mallory knows it, too.

In the book, The War of Art, Steven Pressfield says this about “support” groups and workshops: “The more energy we spend stoking up on support from colleagues and loved ones, the weaker we become and the less capable of handling our business.”

I think it’s a balancing act. One of the joys of creating anything is in sharing it with others. We all want feedback. It can be very discouraging to work on something that gets no response. No response can feel worse than a negative one.

Obviously, a novelist wants her reader to like her book. A comedian wants to get laughs. We all want to hear, “I love your work.” But when we don’t hear it, do we crumble and quit? Do we deem ourselves unworthy? Or are we secure enough to know we’ve done our best job?

There’s a subtle difference between needing support - needing that “I love you” - and asking for guidance or perspective. If we want a pat on the head, we can run to Mom. But if we want want honest help, we need to seek people who won’t mince words.

There’s also a difference between launching your work hoping to hear “That’s great!” and launching your work to simply say, “Here it is.”

Can you feel it?

When I was a kid, I used to sing for the neighbors when they visited for coffee. I love praise and approval…still do. (I’m a Leo - we love the spotlight). Applause is addictive.

But we can’t build our house on it, because when nobody claps, then what?

How do we build creative self-confidence? Hard work on our craft. Receiving unsolicited praise from people we respect. Remembering our victories.

No doubt, a kind word of encouragement always helps, and it feels good to give it. Everyone gets discouraged from time to time. When a friend reminds you of how talented you are, (like Roark does for Mallory in The Fountainhead) it can make a huge difference. We’re all in this together. This blog is here to inspire, after all.

Still…is your creative house built on sand or rock? Do you have an “inner candle flame that never flickers”?

Do you know you’re good?

Your thoughts?

“There’s no time for quotes.” - Mark Penta

Are you in a creative hurry?

Have you got a deadline?

Like me, right now?

I’m typing this from a library, and there’s a crowd of people waiting to use the computer. I want to post something creative, but I have no ideas. I’ve got 20 minutes to be brilliant, and I’m feeling the pressure. But there’s no time to feel pressure; all I can do is type these words and hope something great happens - something worthy of your time and attention.

Garrison Keillor was once asked how long it takes him to write an episode of his radio show, A Praire Home Companion. He said if he has a week’s deadline it takes him a week to write the show. But if he only has a day it takes him a day.

Deadlines are a good thing. Like just now - a little window just warned me that I have 10 minutes to finish. Yikes!

That means I have barely enough time to finish this line and edit the post. Could I save it and refine it later? Sure, but I’m not going to. Why? Because this is an exercise.

This is creativity to go.

See ya!

Comments?

The movie Smoke, starring Harvey Keitel and William Hurt, is one of my favorites, and I was thrilled to find this scene (video below) and wanted to share it with you. It speaks volumes about the creative process and the creative journey.

Keitel plays Auggie, a cigar store owner from Brooklyn, and William Hurt plays one of his customers, a writer and widower.

In this scene, Hurt’s character discovers that Auggie has a hobby - photography - and a rather unusual creative project. Notice how the scene is about 2 artists talking about art, and all the while the sequence is a work of art; beautifully written, acted, and paced.

I hope you’ll watch all 7 minutes, and break out the tissues, kids, because it includes one of the most heartbreaking ideas I’ve ever seen on film:

[Rent the movie! Especially to find out how Auggie got his camera. Your thoughts? Leave a comment…

“When you rise in the morning, form a resolution to make the day a happy one for a fellow creature.” - Sydney Smith

Here are some links to cool sites & stuff that might really improve your creative journey:

1. VideoJug: Life Explained on Film is a super-fun video tutorial website. You can learn how to do just about anything on VideoJug, and I mean anything. See for yourself.

2. Etsy is an amazing resource for creative people - especially you crafty types who need a place to sell your handmade goods. You can find jewelry, prints, pottery, you name it.

3. What can you do with a bag of rocks? This!

4. Want to improve your diet? Check out The World’s Healthiest Foods.

5. Illustrator PJ Lynch explains step-by-step how he creates one of his beautiful book covers.

Do you have any inspiring links to share? Limit to one, please. Leave a comment!

Okay, my funky cafe friends, it’s time to put on your dancing shoes!

The creative journey is a lot more fun if you dance your way through it, don’t you agree?

At no extra charge to you, I’ve hired the late James Brown to come to the cafe and teach you some new moves. (I already know most of them. I even own the shirt.)

Enjoy the video!

[By the way, the song is called If You Don’t Give a Doggone About It. It’s available on iTunes.]

Hold on! Wait a minute. James Brown is back for an encore! Are you ready to dance?:

Leave a funky comment!