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I’ve long had this epic struggle with 365-day challenges over the years, always starting at January 1st. Each time, I was lucky to make it to late January, and often not more than a few days. Obviously, I made a mistake forcing myself to start at the beginning of a new calendar. But that’s not…
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“I’m sinking in the quicksand of my thought And I ain’t got the power anymore” – David Bowie, “Quicksand” (1971) “Quicksand” may be the greatest song that David Bowie ever wrote. This song is the 6th track on Bowie’s December 1971 album “Hunky Dory.” Bowie often explored the boundaries of identity, reality, and artifice, and…
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I’ve always had a burning passion to create things. From my early childhood stacking blocks into structures, constructing with Duplos and later Legos both guided and freestyle, I’ve always appreciated the act of building. I’d even create fake laptop computers on construction paper by drawing a screen on one half and drawing a custom keyboard…
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It’s easy to assume that few days of our lives are noteworthy. Many days simply meld together in our minds without hesitation, and rarely do we regret when they’re over. Yet, I’ve learned that it’s helpful to give special attention to every day and find something in it, no matter how small, to find noteworthy.…
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As a child, I often spoke out of turn and perhaps it was only because I had so much to say and a desperate need to be heard. I spent so many years speaking in circles, never able to turn off the roundabout in my mind, wondering which road was worth taking. Eventually I chose…
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Too many nights, I find myself wide awake. Most of them are spent mindlessly mulling over pursuits that, on the surface, are the intellectual equivalent of scrolling through memes that fail to amuse me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there’s a small, tired voice gently reminding me that maybe this isn’t the best…
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Recently, I abandoned the pipe dream of writing a book for commercial success. Now I focus on creating worthwhile content, commercial viability be damned. My fascination with many subjects but long-term attraction to few makes me a generalist in a world obsessed with specialization. My writing life is inundated constantly by mental snapshots, slowly morphing…
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When we think of qualifications, we should not think of pieces of paper. It’s not that these certificates, Diplomas, awards, and whatnot are bad. They are affirmations that represent the completion of particular tasks or goals. They are useful symbols but in my experience they can be greatly overrated. Like with anything else, not every…
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I’ve been labeled a “genius” by various well-meaning folks over the years. Some of them even dared to slap on the more flattering “creative genius” tag. I suppose I should be flattered, but honestly, I’ve always found it a bit bewildering. Maybe it’s my tragic flaw, but I just don’t see it. Sure, I’ve got…
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As a master photographer, Emily Slatin has a wide-ranging array of both color and black & white photography since 1998 on her personal website, RescueGirl557. She’s an expert at both film photography and digital photography, the latter which she currently takes with her two Leica digital cameras. Recently, I spoke to Emily about her passion…