Category: A Matter of Time
-
3.15.20
Five years ago, there was precious little to look forward to. And then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Donald Glover released his fourth album as Childish Gambino, 3.15.20. It was surprising, because Donald’s best known for his rollouts. Because the Internet’s rollout was accompanied by listening parties, a nationwide tour, and a short…
-
20 lessons from 2 years in New York City
Two years ago, I moved to New York City with my wife and our cat. I’d first visited nearly a decade before, and it had always been a dream of mine—one I’d talked myself out of many times. I’m Canadian and I wasn’t sure how I’d figure out a way to stay. Working visas felt…
-
Convenience, growth, commitment, and sacredness
When a theater shows a movie, it’s not convenient. You need to buy a relatively expensive ticket. You need to arrive on time. You can’t pause it. There will be a day the theater stops showing it. Movie theaters are not growing—they are in decline. Movie theaters make you do something that a streaming service…
-
Discovering the work that needs to be made
I’m finally making good progress on the second draft of my next book. It feels good enough to actually discuss—and much less fragile than the first draft. To be precise, it actually feels more like the first draft of the book that it was actually meant to be. “Every block of stone has a statue…
-
To minimize overthinking, set and adhere to a time constraint
Doechii made her mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, in a month. She says, “If I sit with art for too long, I start to overthink. Then you start over editing. Suddenly you can find yourself with a completely different picture. That’s why I set a hard time limit. I told myself: ‘Whatever I get done…
-
If you’re embarrassed by your early work, that means you did it right
Anybody who does anything worth doing knows how difficult it is to get through the early work. While you have great taste, your skills aren’t at the level you need to match it yet—so you make work that falls short of your vision. It feels mildly embarrassing at the time, but as the years go…