Hi beautiful friends,
Coming to you live from Austin, TX. Here is your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics, a look at what I’ve been up to that could be useful to you. Welcome to the four new subscribers receiving this for the first time (70 total). That’s enough for a flash mob. Please consider forwarding this along to one friend.
What I’ve written
My valiant attempt to distill the best of Austin Kleon’s book trilogy on all things creativity. This one took a while but it didn’t bother me because I enjoyed having a reason to go back and revisit his amazing insights. He does a fantastic job of making the creative process approachable. You are an artist whether or not you consider yourself one. Why not learn how to become better?
Click the link to have a peek and let me know what you think - The day you became an artist.
Books I’ve reread
Speaking of trilogy’s, I just finished reading one written by Steven Pressfield. He was an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant in a mental hospital, fruit-picker in Washington state, and screenwriter (Wikipedia). He has written 20+ books (fiction and nonfiction) and is probably most well known for his first fiction book that later became a movie - The Legend of Bagger Vance. The nonfiction trilogy I read was on the creative process - The War of Art, Do The Work, and Turning Pro. They are all fun and quick reads but if you are busy and only have time for one then do yourself a favor and read The War of Art. He calls the fear we face in our lives Resistance. Even though it’s an invisible force it can defeat us all if we aren’t careful.
“Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
Mini podcast episodes I’ve been listening to
Derek Sivers makes another appearance in my life with dozens of bite size wisdom snacks. He recorded a ton of two minute recordings summarizing his most counterintuitive ideas about life. From traveling internationally without a phone to the benefits of daydreaming. He may be a little out there for some but he is one of the deepest thinkers I’ve ever discovered. He challenges the status quo and frequently gets me to ask myself, “Am I really supposed to be living like this or is there a better way?”
Old friends
One of my childhood best friends and his wife visited us in Austin this past weekend. David and I go back to the third grade playground where we played pickup football 🏈 . We spent more hours playing Mario Party than I’d like to admit while they were here. Some things never change. Anyone who is willing to put up with you for 20+ years is a keeper. Don’t forget that. Treat those relationships with care. They are one of the great pleasures in life.
Random thought
With all this talk of going to Mars and becoming an interplanetary species, survival of the fittest will be replaced with survival of the richest.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. I’m giving you everything I can. Reply and let me know what you like and don’t like about these weekly electronic mails (emails). Do more ____? Do less ____? I want to hear from you. You can find me on Twitter where I say stuff.
Have a terrific Tuesday friends!
Cheers,
Arman
I love Austin Kleon. Got to listened to him speak at TX book festival last month and it was very inspiring