Middle Aged Crazy

“Here’s the part you are going to hate me for,” the oncologist was standing in front of us in a typical treatment room, the kind we’d been spending way too much time in, writing on a small whiteboard like a professor lecturing to a very small class. He was a ... Continue reading →

I’ve been talking to people who don’t think they are very creative for the last few weeks, and today I want to talk briefly about your environment. Previously we decided that creativity = applied imagination, that you have to get out of your own way, and that you should major ... Continue reading →

History is largely an account of the brutish, the aggressive and the brave. From pre-cave days to today’s hostile corporate takeovers, aggression and force have their role in society. Might makes right. That’s why it is a miracle that somewhere along the way we figured out there is a better ... Continue reading →

This is the third entry in a series aimed at readers who need a little help rediscovering their natural creativity. So far we’ve learned that Creativity = Applied Imagination and you need to get out of your own way and give yourself permission to be creative. Today we’ll talk about ... Continue reading →

This is the second entry in a series on finding creativity, especially for those who believe they aren’t creative at all. In the first post, we defined creativity as “Applied Imagination.” Today, we’ll talk about the first condition of being creative: giving yourself a chance. Just because I need to ... Continue reading →

After my first book, The Affluent Artist, came out, I ran into a fellow Little League parent who asked me a question that changed the direction of my intellectual life, “I heard you wrote a book for artists. What do you have to say to those of us who are not ... Continue reading →

I’m a big fan of the 12th century saint, St. Francis. Ever since I saw Zefirelli’s film, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, I have been fascinated by this son of a merchant who lived a life of faith and conviction. To me, his life personified Grace, that elusive feeling of being ... Continue reading →

Writer guy here had the knives out. I had a weekend built for sarcasm, opportunities to mock myself and everyone my age or older in the process, I was going to become the great American humorist based on this weekend alone, you should have heard the blog writing itself in ... Continue reading →

7 more people got killed today. They were gunned down by someone who didn’t like the way they worship God. Shot while they were worshipping God. This barely two weeks after a bunch of people were randomly gunned down while watching a movie. Neither is a capital crime. We ‘ve ... Continue reading →

Left Brainers Unite! The Industrial Revolution is over and one of its last remnants: measurable data is being used as a blunt instrument to keep us in check. People are not machines and efficiency experts have had their day. The only reason creative types don’t rule the world? Because we ... Continue reading →

Here’s what happened: Some guy who sells chicken sandwiches offers his religious beliefs and how those beliefs color his opinion of other people. Those other people disagree with him passionately and vow to never eat his sandwiches. We’re all good right? That’s the state of the world: I am right. ... Continue reading →