Finding Momentum
Rolling rolling rolling, keep that <insert your passion> going.
Momentum is one of the most powerful tools can posses. With it, we can move mountains without a sense of great effort. When we have it, we may take it for granted. But when we lose it, the thought of what it takes to regain it seems beyond our grasp.
As some of you know, we live in Asheville and our life changed in the wake of Hurricane Helene. It was during that first month without modern utilities, like water and electricity, when I lost momentum with writing and the podcast. Survival, recovery, trauma processing, and holidays left little room to do anything but focus on life and work. During that time, I struggled to publish an episode. It took well over a month of false starts and a final mad scramble to release my talk with Ryan Sook by mid-January. While I felt bad I’d fallen behind on the podcast, it was nothing compared to the growing well of self-loathing connected toward my writing. Or lack thereof.
This dark undercurrent didn’t go unnoticed, and with the support of my wife, I took most of February off for a writing retreat in the Colorado mountains. No skiing, no guitar, or podcast—just work back into the manuscript. In the end, I got there and discovered a new process tool. While I love doing the podcast, I can’t take this sort of time off to focus on the show. I had to find another way back in.
“You’ve done the thing you love more than you haven’t over the last X weeks/months/years. So acknowledge that effort.”
Two weeks ago, I committed to publish another episode before I went to HeroesCon. Maybe build some momentum too. That guest was Shawn Crystal. For those who didn’t listen to the episode, Shawn is a comicbook creator, illustrator, educator, and nascent tattoo artist. He also heads the long-standing and successful podcast, INKPULP. There, he focuses on the making of comicbooks, and serves as an inspiration for many. Then, as if divine, I saw Shawn launched his first craft-based Kickstarter book. It was time to honor my word, support the guest, and the comicbook community.
During my edit of the podcast, Shawn and I talked about how everyone gives themselves shit for breaking a streak. Miss a day-or-two with any self-improvement, and the personal vultures sharpen their beaks. Shawn’s prescient advice was, “Widen your lens and look at the bigger picture. You’ve done the thing you love more than you haven’t over the last X weeks/months/years. So acknowledge that effort. Don’t beat yourself up, and move forward.”
Self-loathing is a simple survival mechanism to maintain momentum, but it doesn’t take much to slide into a negative place and work against us. Over the post-hurricane months, I felt close to giving up. I grew hypersensitive. Every time I saw another podcast post a past guest, or someone I hoped to talk with, I wondered if I should pack it in. What value is it to others, let alone me?
But a few things worked me back from the edge of abandoning the show. First, I there were two recorded episodes, and I had to honor a social contract with those guests. Second, friends of the podcast checked in. No pressure to keep the show going, but see if I was okay. This reminded me I wasn’t alone. Third, and far more unexpected, a new listener purchased a TRADECRAFT membership on Substack. I reached out to thank them and assuage some guilt because of lack of productivity. They said they were in a state of professional and creative, and found the podcast an inspiration. I wasn’t alone, and the conversations had their intended effect. So I recorded a bonus talk with Shawn and published.
(thank you all)
More after the break…
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Next up for the podcast, editor extraordinaire Shelly Bond's episode publishes next week, on the heels of a much-needed comicbook recharge—HeroesCon! Aside from being my favorite convention, filled with friends and past guests, I still have a long list of future podcast guests. I won’t declare the momentum is back, but I’m taking the steps to regain it with the podcast. I’ve put out more weekly episodes over the last six years than I haven’t.
The same thinking applies to my writing. I’ve produced a lot of work on the page in the last eight years. I’ve written myself out of more than one dry spell. This comes from three places. 1. Maintaining a rregular schedule, meditating, using my Pomodoro timer, listening to music with noise-cancelling headphones, and prescribed ADHD medication—when needed. 2. Write anywhere I can—no matter how weird the spot. 3. Keep reading for craft inspiration. 4. Write in notebooks and my trusty legal pad to loosen-up my thinking, just like I did as a comic book artist.
What’s cool?
Among the two areas mentioned above, I’ve done a terrible job posting my reading list. I’m 14 books behind, and sure to add a few more to that list before I post them. Here’s a preview of the authors to come; Cormac McCarthy, Robert Crais, Terry Pratchett, Rav V, John le Carré, Paula Hawkins, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert Caro.
The Devils Joe Abercrombie’s lates novel. Set in an entirely new world, that just so happens to be an alternate history of Mediterranean Europe—with magic. A D&D adventure written as a dark comedy. I’m a third in and I only wish I had more hours in the day to read. One of the best in the genre showing off his gift for voice.
Andor Season 2 This is some of the best television. If you like drama, thrillers, spy stories, prison break outs, heist movies, war stories, and various other genres, this two season series has it all—all at the highest level. You don’t have to be a Star Wars fan to love this. But if you are, it’s the best Star Wars since Star Wars.
Justified One of the side-effects of not having cable since the ‘80s is missing a lot of TV. After subscribing to Disney+ for Andor, it opened the door to a lot of shows from FX and Hulu. I dig Timothy Olyphant, and the show–though rife with production stylings of the time—is filled with solid stories and great characters/actors. In some weird way I feel it’s the country cousin to Tom Sellick’s Magnum PI series.
Feel free to tip me off to something cool to read, listen, or watch.
Thanks for reading!
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It's okay to take the time we need, and sometimes the fruits of our labor aren't visible the way we measure them. Welcome back Alex!