I find myself looking ahead at this New Year and already my expectations are high- my dreams are too many-too big- and overwhelming. It’s a typical habit of mine. So, I wonder what I can do to narrow the scope. Towards the end of 2016 I find myself with several notebooks full of lists, brainstorm diagrams, cartoon drawings, concept art, etc. : ideas written on c-folds, post its, pieces of green tape, various restaurant’s menus and guest tickets- of a thing that I’ve been gearing up to do for over a year. Of “this thing I’m working on”. I keep talking about it, trying to narrow down what it is going to be. A website? A magazine? A blog? And who it will serve. Myself? Will it give a written voice to these crazy subjects that I have become so passionate about? I think-ugh. Does anyone even want to know what I think?
One of the people who has inspired me immensely this past year to continue to put pen to paper, even when I’ve yet to have something to show for it- is a friend of mine who manages to just make amazing things. Regularly. I frustratingly compare to this truly remarkable ability to work hard to my haphazard collection of notes and feelings of inadequacy. To my concern that nothing I do is ready yet or perfect yet- so it stays in this constant state of gestation. Ideas are happening, but nothing is made. I try to remind myself that it doesn’t have to be “finished”. That just getting notes down is a start. That an outline from those notes is a step, that writing a draft, and even publishing it with all of the fear that entails- is something. Is work. I try to remind myself that I can come back to it. Add in photos. That I shouldn’t stop taking photos because I’m so disappointed in the ones I have. Don’t stop taking things in. Don’t stop trying to make it.
“Don’t stop taking things in. Don’t stop trying to make it.”
To be completely honest- this whole post started because I wanted to share my friend’s end of the year post in a more meaningful way than simply reposting it to my Facebook wall. It was more about highlighting his work and my admiration of it. I hope to start to showcase these people in my life who are amazing! At least, that’s another idea I’ve written down somewhere. So I started to write, but here this draft has sat for weeks. Now that I’ve returned, it’s become a vastly different story.
In any case, before I forget- please take a moment to check out some of what Justin Khanna is doing on YouTube (his Hong Kong Video is still one of my favorites) , and on medium for his 2017 Playbook. A piece that is much more thought out than this writing has turned out to be.
For me- I feel like the pregnancy of “this thing I want to do” has been a big part of 2016. I plan to see it through to being a tangible, made part of 2017. I am willing to grow it as organically, and hopefully less messily than all of my crazy notes. I plan to push myself to write, to create, to continue to take pictures and draw concepts, and this year- I’m going to share them. Really.
