A Secret to a Happy Life: Live Like a Boater 24/7

“A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say, ‘How to Build a Boat’.”
- Steven Wright

When was the last time you waved at someone from your car?

I’m talking about driving on the highway and waving hello to the guy next to you doing 70 miles an hour.

If aliens are observing our planet - and no doubt they are - they’ve probably noticed something peculiar about how humans change their behavior when riding certain vehicles.

They’d notice, for example, that when we’re on a boat we seem very happy and peaceful. We smile and wave at other boaters - our beautiful fellow human beings. People on dry land see us on the boat and wave at us.

But then something happens. We leave the boat and step into another vehicle - the one with 4 wheels. Suddenly it’s a whole different ballgame. We tense up, curse out loud, cut each other off, and yes, we still wave at each other - only this time with one finger.

Same human, different vehicle. What happened?

People even NAME their boats, hiring professional sign painters. (How come we don’t name our cars?)

Below are some actual boat names I saw recently (Notice how creative, playful, lighthearted and exotic they are):

Joyous, Segovia, It’s About Time, Flying Cloud, Copasetic, Sabre 52, Off the Cuff, Snookie Joy, Wife’s Squall, Verus, Sweetness, Sandy Said II, Quickwater.

If we named our cars it’d be more like Flat Tire, Drunk Drivin’, Bad Direction, Don’t Make Me Stop This Car, Breakdown, or Long Commute.

To be fair, chances are if you’re on a boat you’re on vacation. You’re finally free to relax, be happy and carefree…enjoy life. I get it.

But why wait until you’re on a boat?

Why wait?

So here’s your homework: wave at your fellow motorists the next time you’re on the road. Try it once. They’ll think you’re nuts. I’ve done it, it’s a great feeling.

And while you’re at it, think up a carefree name for your car and have somebody paint it on your trunk. Something cool, like Stargazer, or Gas Guzzlin’, or Hot Mamma.

What do you think of my little philosophy? What would you name your car? Got a boat story? Leave a comment.

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While I’m busy workin’ (and playing) here in the back room at Creative Journey Cafe, I’ve called upon the late, great philosopher Alan Watts to come entertain and enlighten you.

Here he is (video below) discussing man-made things vs. nature. So fire up the incense, pour yourself a cup of green tea (on the house), and get ready to meditate and contemplate this wiggly world we live in.

Comments? Be sure to tell us what you think…

“I’ve often said: the only thing standing between me and greatness…is me.” - Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s new movie, Vicki Cristina Barcelona, is not just my favorite movie of the summer, it’s one of my new all-time favorite movies. And it just came out a few days ago.

I love when that happens!

Do you know the feeling when you experience a book, movie, or piece of music, and you instantly love it as if it were always part of you?

That’s how I feel about this movie. I want to re-experience it again and again.

It’s not The Godfather or Lawrence of Arabia. It doesn’t try to be.

It’s a lighthearted romantic drama, an escape movie, a fantasy. It feels effortless. For what it is, it’s perfect.

It examines real-world dilemmas about love; specifically romantic love vs. practical love.

It’s absorbing and fun, full of surprises, with great acting and dialogue.

The actors and scenery are beautiful to look at, and the soundtrack is terrific (Spanish guitar - you can buy it on iTunes).

The plot? Two best friends, Vicky (practical) and Cristina (free-spirit) visit Barcelona for the summer, where they meet Juan Antonio, a dashing painter who whisks them away to his world of beauty, art, and wild passion. But this Don Juan is no cliche; he surprises you because he’s decent and honest.

Critics say this isn’t one of Allen’s best; that it isn’t as important as Annie Hall or Crimes and Misdemeanors. True - he hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but that isn’t his intention.

To me, it’s a terrific example of how great art can happen when you don’t try to be great…when you’re just having fun doing what excites you.

And say what you want about Allen as a person, but here’s what Woody Allen does:

He makes 1 movie every year. For forty years.

Anyway - go see it on the big screen. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Thoughts? Leave a comment.

I took this photo (below) last week. I can’t help but wonder if the workers who paved this road realized they were making art, or if it was just another damn day fixing cracks in the street.

When you look at this picture, does it resonate with you?

How does it relate to your creative journey?

Tell us by leaving a comment…

Do you have a sketchbook? A notebook? Something you can pull out anytime, anywhere, and be creative?

A sketchbook (let’s call it a sketchbook) is your best friend; you can say anything to it and it doesn’t judge. It’s always there for you - when you’re bored, when you’re fidgety, when you need to express yourself.

(below are samples from my personal sketchbook)

Open your sketchbook - it’s open-minded. It can’t see you, but it’s all ears.

Do you know what I like to do with my sketchbooks?

I like to spill things on them accidentally. Coffee, food, beer, it’s all good.

This does two important things:

1. It reminds you that your sketchbooks aren’t mean to be perfect.

2. It gives your sketchbook character.

Go ahead - make your weirdest, worst art in your sketchbook. Write those bad song lyrics, draw that lady’s head out of proportion - who cares! Nobody has to see, because it’s yours. It’s private. Don’t show anybody. Or show everybody - it’s up to you.

There are many different kinds of sketchbooks. They come in all shapes and sizes. The style you choose is personal. Don’t buy just any old sketchbook you find in Barnes & Noble. Get something you love, something that feels good in your hands, fits in your back pocket, or tucks conveniently in your bag.

Me? I always buy the same sketchbook: a Cachet Classic Hardbound Sketchbook (never spiral) with over 200 acid-free blank pages. (Acid-free means the paper won’t yellow.) I get one of two sizes: either the horizontal 6″x9″, or the small square 4″x6″ size. Both are portable and give my hand room to stretch. This sketchbook is bound like a real book, so you can’t easily tear pages out, but I do sometimes if I want to give a drawing away.

The Moleskin notebooks and sketchbooks are very popular; apparently Hemingway used them, among other famous creators. (They make a really nice watercolor book.) But I’ve yet to meet a Moleskin that suits my needs. (Again, you gotta buy a book that’s right for you - not just ’cause Hemingway used it.)

So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself a sketchbook or notebook! Scribble, doodle, jot down that brilliant idea. Whatever. Use it everyday. Whether it’s a cheapo spiral-bound notebook you buy at Walgreens, or a nice one like the ones I mention above. Sketchbooks are an invaluable part of the creative process and a fantastic way to record and archive your creative journey.

Leave your sketchy comments, or tell us about your favorite sketchbook/notebook!

What books have changed your life?

If you could recommend 3 books to us…books that will improve our creative journey in some way, what would they be?

Here are 3 that have changed my life, both personally and creatively:

1. Loving What Is by Byron Katie. If I had one book to give someone to help them overcome anxiety and become enlightened it would be this. Byron Katie’s “Work” is simple, powerful, and life-altering - like a miracle whenever I do it, which isn’t nearly enough. You simply apply 4 questions to any stressful thought. The result is clarity, acceptance and peace. You might not like or agree with everything here (I don’t), but Katie’s Work is radically changing millions of lives. All you need is a pen and paper. (Here are videos of Katie doing The Work with people.)

2. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Because it taught me and millions of people how to draw and I’ve made my entire living at it.

3. A tie: Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, both by Tom Robbins. I had to include some fiction here, and Robbins is my favorite. I remember feeling high as a kite after finishing Cowgirls, and the last sentence of Jitterbug made me pray that one day I might create something as wonderful and masterful. Robbins is an acquired taste with his wild metaphors, but his worldview is fun and magical, and my life is that much more so because of his books.

Okay, your turn! Tell us your top 3 life-changing books…add a comment!

“Way too much coffee. But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” - David Letterman

Have you noticed? Everyone likes their coffee different:

…Cream and sugar.

…Hazelnut, with cream. No sugar.

(Or as my friend John jokes; “I like my coffee the way I like my women - cold and bitter.”)

I could sit here all day rattling off the countless ways people like the same thing - coffee.

One coffee - infinite possibilities.

Yet there’s only one way people like their coffee: the “right” way.

Isn’t that interesting?

My coffee might make you go “ew”.

Your coffee would make me say “blech.”

So who says we’re all supposed to like Picasso?

And why are you pressuring yourself to paint like Picasso, when what you should be doing is painting like you?

The “right” way.

The way you like it.

Spending your life trying to be like someone else, or trying to create like someone else, or doing what you think you should do instead of what you really want to do, is like drinking someone else’s coffee your whole life. (Cold and bitter indeed.)

If there was a chalkboard hanging over the counter here at Creative Journey Cafe, it would say “Today’s Wisdom” in big rainbow letters. And underneath those words, it would say:

“Be your own coffee!”

(Have a nice day. And if you’d like to add some sugar or cream to this post, leave a comment.)

You remember the TV show Northern Exposure from the early 1990’s, right?

I’ve been revisiting it on DVD. Man, it was one of the best, most intelligent, most creative TV shows ever.

If you need a little creative inspiration today, I think you’ll enjoy this great clip I found (video below). It’s John Corbett’s character, Chris, waxing poetic about light…and then he reveals his ‘brilliant’ art project. Enjoy!

Who was your favorite character on Northern Exposure and why? Leave your comment…