creativity | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘creativity’

Still Going! Hope You Are Too

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #QuittingIsForQuitters, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 17, 2025| 2 Comments »

The only guaranteed way to succeed is simple: don’t quit.

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Do It with Style

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on October 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style.”

— Rebecca Solnit

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Most Interesting

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on October 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“When you’re faced with something you don’t understand, I think the most natural thing but also the least interesting thing you can be is afraid.”

— Hank Green, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

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Window to the World

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #YouDoYou, chillaxation, creativity, Thoughts, writing on October 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We are all raised with ideas about what is worth spending our time on.

“Don’t waste your time [fill in the blank], you should be working on [fill in another blank]. If you have time later, maybe you can play.”

Thanks to some excellent teachers and super cool parents, I tend to think of this equation the other way around. There’s nothing like genuine interest to motivate. I’d put up with a lot of [math] in order to understand [orbital mechanics].

I also believe in the restorative power of doing things that remind me what I love about the world. I can’t work all the time, and if I try, both work and life suffer for it.

I mean, yes, do what’s necessary to graduate, keep a job, care for those you love, etc. There is real satisfaction in that. But I also try not to let anyone make me feel bad when I also [read/write/watch Star Wars] instead of doing something they consider more rewarding.

There are a lot of ways to be a good, capable, productive person.

Love what you love, and let it be your window onto the whole world.

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Filling the Shelf

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“We are born an empty bookshelf. Life is what we fill it with.”

― Felicia Day

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A Very Brief Snippet

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Writers, writing on September 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

For whatever reason, today I have nothing. I have an extensive folder filled with potentially fun links, ideas, quotes, etc. but none of them are catching my eye. So instead, here’s the first line for a little story I started a few days ago. It’s sitting open on my desktop, waiting for me to have time and bandwidth. I hope I get to it soon because I think it’s going to be entertaining.

You ever watch a movie where the bad guy is up on stage, monologuing for all he’s worth, and then look behind him at the B-team and wonder, “What the hell are they thinking?”

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My Pain, Your Gain

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #ImperfectButStillTrying, creativity, perfectionism, Thoughts, with apologies on September 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I try to push back against perfectionism here, encouraging you to do your best but to also push ahead and just get things done.

I try to follow those guidelines in my own creative work, but it doesn’t always happen that way.

Case in point: I’ve been working on a card for a friend, and was all set to make her something fun. Then I came up with another idea. And then another. And then her birthday came and went and I was still working out my plan.

No problem, my cards are often late and it’s just an excuse to extend the celebration.

Well, this time, it’s possible that the card will be Very late.

It’s finally almost done and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Except.

Canada Post workers walk off the job after government demands reforms | CBC News

Whoops.

So this card, which would have been just fine if perhaps not perfect (what is?) will now be Very Very Late. Perhaps it will arrive in time for Canadian Thanksgiving? American Thanksgiving? Christmas?

Well, that’ll learn me.

In case you needed another example of the downsides of perfectionism or a reason to just Get On With It, here it is.

Hoping that my pain will be your gain!

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Everyday Magic

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, inspiration, practice, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Whether you want to draw, write, or some other creativity, this is pretty good advice.

The Artist Who Couldn’t Draw | The Kid Should See This

Roger didn’t like his drawings. He didn’t feel that he had any drawing talent. But then a girl named Zoe moved next door and handed him a magic black pen.

The lesson? Sometimes it helps to take things literally.

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