Author: Craig Constantine

It’s resistance

February 16, 2024

In the most recent months I’ve been waking up with this strange sensation. In the Fall I started deleting things; I started changing projects to require less input, simplifying where I could, and in some cases outright eliminating. Whereas in recent years I’ve generally awakened with a sense of “should”—I should do this, I should have yesterday done that—in the most recent months I’ve awakened with this strange sensation. It’s not optimism per se, but it’s close. What do I want to do today? 
do that.

Hovering before me as I wake is the work I know I need to do that day. Inevitably, that labor is daunting. Inescapably, it brings up fear. I don’t want to do it. This fear and this avoidance combine to create the witch’s brew that boils and bubbles in the cauldron of my brain.

~ Steven Pressfield from, My Head in the Morning

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In the Age of Fire I continuously expanded what I wanted to do, beyond the bounds of possibility and reason. Lately, having realized that nothing I do actually matters, I’m free—I’ve always been free—to pick a few nice things upon which to apply myself.

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Audio Drama with Scott Edward Smith

February 15, 2024

What are the creative and technical challenges in adapting stage plays into audio dramas, and how does the medium of podcasting influence storytelling approaches?

Lean into the world of audio drama with Scott Edward Smith, as he transforms historical figures into compelling stories, revealing how he reshaped his approach to storytelling to bring theater to the radio.

As a writer, as a producer, and quite often as the director, I’m taking material that is meant to be seen. And being told you have to make this work in audio—nobody’s going to see what you think— and having to transform
 it wasn’t story, it was words. So that the words were more specific. [
] It changed how I wrote and also how I spoke, because I had to learn this medium, which gives you no visuals. You have nothing to work with. You just can’t say the things that you do in a play, or a movie or, a television show.

~ Scott Edward Smith (4:20)

Scott Edward Smith and Craig Constantine dig into the world of audio drama and its resurgence in the era of COVID-19. Scott shares his journey from writing for television, movies, and theater to embracing audio dramas due to the pandemic’s impact on traditional media outlets. He highlights how it forced him into the realm of audio storytelling, transforming his approach to narratives and character development.

With historical figures as his subjects, Scott crafts one-person plays that bring these personalities to life, emphasizing the shift from visual to auditory storytelling. This transition, he notes, required a nuanced understanding of how to convey stories solely through sound, making every word and effect crucial in painting vivid pictures for the audience.

Scott discusses several of his works, including audio dramas about Wallace Simpson, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean, explaining how each project adapted to the audio format’s unique demands. He reflects on the creative process, from the initial concept to the detailed execution, integrating sound effects and music to enhance the listener’s experience.

The conversation also touches on the technical aspects of producing audio dramas, such as segmenting stories for listener convenience and the strategic use of sound to evoke specific settings and emotions. Through these discussions, Scott illustrates the power of audio drama to captivate and engage audiences, offering a theater-like experience through the intimate medium of podcasting.

Takeaways

Adapting to new mediums—how a seasoned writer transitions from traditional stage and screenwriting to audio dramas due to the constraints posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The power of sound in storytelling—exploring the use of audio effects and music to create vivid, immersive experiences in the absence of visual cues.

Evolution of narrative techniques—reflecting on how the necessity to focus purely on audio has refined writing and directing approaches, emphasizing the importance of every word and sound.

Future of audio dramas—speculating on the ongoing role and potential growth of audio dramas in the broader landscape of entertainment and storytelling.

Historical figures as subjects—the creative process behind transforming the lives of iconic personalities into compelling one-person audio dramas.

Technical aspects of audio production—discussing the challenges and strategies involved in segmenting stories for an audio format, catering to listener habits and preferences.

Resources

Intimate Fame Podcast — An audio drama discussed in this episode, focusing on the stories of historical figures of Wallace Simpson, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean.

Edinburgh Festival — Mentioned in the context of one of the audio dramas having been performed there, the Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for several arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland, every summer.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Wonder

February 15, 2024

If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.

~ Rachel Carson

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Bliss

February 14, 2024

I can go for walks with others, with music, or with podcasts, and those things usually crowd out my frenzied thoughts and internal monolog. But it’s much better when I manage to leave enough space for my thoughts to settle. Wrestling with my own thinking just gets both of us riled up.

This practice teaches you that you don’t need to address every instance of mental talk you have. In fact, your thoughts will never leave you alone if you try to resolve every train of thought that arises. Instead, you can just enjoy the world as it reveals itself before you.

~ David Cain from, How to Make Your Mind Maybe One-Third Quieter

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Serenity is to be found when walking truly alone—not even accompanied by one’s own thoughts.

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Breath with Julie Angel

February 13, 2024

Breath with Julie Angel

What insights can movement and breathwork practices offer about self-awareness, adaptability, and the interplay of emotional, physical, and creative aspects in our lives?

Julie Angel describes her multifaceted approach to movement, breath–work, and life as ‘everything everywhere all at once,’ revealing a seamless blend of creativity, transformation, and minimalism in her practices.

I’m really lazy. I’m a high performance slacker. And so it has to be simple and minimalist in doing it. If there’s any practice where it’s like: You need to buy all of this equipment, and you need to do all of these things, and you need a membership
 I’m just like, no no that’ll be a no. All of those things cause friction points for me, and I don’t do them. So I mean there’s a minimalism, a simplicity, a creativity, and an adaptability; which is why to other people it may seem very different that I I wear all these these hats which I’m equally multi-passionate about. But for me I’m like, same same. [ed: It’s all the same.]

~ Julie Angel, 2:50

Julie Angel and Craig dive into the worlds of movement, breath-work, and the emotional landscape of physical practice. Julie shares her holistic view on movement, emphasizing that everything she does—whether it’s filmmaking, practicing parkour, training others, or walking her dog—interconnects through common threads of exploration, transformation, curiosity, and creativity. The absence of division between her various interests, highlights the blending of her professional and personal pursuits that are driven by a consistent creative spark and a quest for simplicity and minimalism in practice.

Julie also introduces the transformative power of breath–work, recounting her journey from being intrigued by MovNat Aquatics courses to exploring the physiological and psychological impacts of breathing techniques. She discusses her discovery of dysfunctional breathing patterns and how addressing these can profoundly affect one’s health, well–being, and movement capabilities.

Julie’s exploration into breath–work is not just a personal quest but also an educational endeavor, as she aims to share this knowledge through her work, showcasing the significant, often under-appreciated role that breathing plays in enhancing movement, reducing anxiety, and improving overall life quality.

Takeaways

Exploring the interconnectedness of activities — how different aspects of life, from professional endeavors to personal hobbies, can intertwine and inform each other, creating a seamless blend of experiences.

The significance of creativity in movement — discussing how a creative element is vital for engagement and passion in practices like parkour and breath–work, emphasizing the role of creativity in sustaining interest and exploration.

Breath-work as a transformative tool — highlighting the journey into breath-work and its profound impact on mental and physical health, from enhancing movement capabilities to reducing anxiety and improving overall well-being.

The emotional aspect of movement — exploring movement not just as a physical activity but as an emotionally charged experience that can influence thoughts, actions, and overall life quality.

Simplicity and minimalism in practice — the importance of adopting a minimalist approach to practices, avoiding over-complication to maintain focus, enjoyment, and consistency in various activities.

The role of breath-work in functional movement — detailing how efficient breathing patterns can significantly enhance movement quality, recovery, and performance, underpinning the foundational role of breath-work in physical practices.

Addressing dysfunctional breathing patterns — uncovering the widespread issue of dysfunctional breathing and its implications, with strategies and insights into how correcting these patterns can lead to significant health and performance benefits.

The impact of mindset and perception on physical health — discussing research on the mind-body connection, emphasizing how one’s mindset and perceptions can tangibly affect physical health and aging.

Resources

https://julieangel.com — Julie Angel’s website offers insights into her work with movement and breath–work, including courses and resources for those interested in exploring these areas further.

Julie Angel — Julie on LinkedIn.

The Mindful Body by Dr. Ellen Langer — A book discussing the power of the mind over the body, including the famous Counterclockwise study, which explores concepts of mindfulness and placebo effects on health and aging.

Environment, ‘natural movement,’ and breathing — Movers Mindset podcast episode with MaryBeth Gangemi.

https://fitomize.ca — Julie Thom, trauma informed movement & life coaching.

Built to Move by Kelly Starrett and Juliet Starrett — This book emphasizes the importance of movement and breathwork as foundational elements for health, detailing practical strategies for improving physical and mental well-being.

https://oxygenadvantage.com — Oxygen Advantage program focused on improving health and performance through specialized breathing techniques that aim to optimize oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body.

https://vicverdiercoaching.com — Vic Verdier, a MovNat Aquatics instructor known for his deep cave and wreck diving records, Verdier’s teachings on breath–work highlight the importance of understanding respiratory chemistry for enhanced movement and health.

How to Keep Your Edge as You Get Older — Podcast episode with Vic Verdier, mentioned by Craig in this conversation.

https://www.movnat.com — MovNat is a physical education and fitness system based on natural human movement skills, aiming to improve strength, mobility, and the ability to perform practical tasks.

https://www.wimhofmethod.com — Wim Hof Method is a combination of cold therapy, breathing techniques, and commitment that has been claimed to contribute to physical and mental wellness.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Rhythm

February 12, 2024

Simply put, all of my problems stem from trying to jam too much into each day. Partly that’s from my having too many ideas. But mostly that’s from insufficient self-awareness to let things go. Over a few decades I’ve steered away from the typical schedule (and it was never anything like a 9-to-5 job.) But I’m still on a strict sleep schedule, with strict light hygiene practices, and no alarm clock. I sleep in utter darkness, and I awake as the room lighting slowly comes up to full brightness—a mimicked sunrise. But I’m still clinging to set times.

Sometimes I break routine by staying out, or up, past my usual bedtime. Sometimes I’m traveling and staying with others. In either case, I don’t seem to have trouble bending my sleep schedule. I’m often the first person to “crash”, but other than that, with a bit of balance-the-total-sleep-time over-sleeping
 I feel pretty normal the next day.

All humans, animals, insects and birds have clocks inside, biological devices controlled by genes, proteins and molecular cascades. These inner clocks are connected to the ceaseless yet varying cycle of light and dark caused by the rotation and tilt of our planet. They drive primal physiological, neural and behavioural systems according to a roughly 24-hour cycle, otherwise known as our circadian rhythm, affecting our moods, desires, appetites, sleep patterns, and sense of the passage of time.

~ Karen Emslie from, Broken sleep

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Except for how much I can get done. On those “next days” where I’ve been off my rigid sleep times. I get vastly less done, and not just because there are fewer hours in the day when I sleep longer in the morning. In fact, the more I glimpse that other world—went to bed whenever, slept until the right amount of time
 and then face a less-productive day. The more I realize, that is the better amount of things to attempt to accomplish: Sleep on a healthy, light-driven cycle, and do half as much in the day.

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Access, for the win

February 11, 2024

The Whole Earth Catalog. Now there’s someone who poured their time, energy, money and personal brand of sanity into a project, and it succeeded. Then the Internet came along and supplanted the entire project.

Yet for years, access to the Whole Earth Catalog itself has been difficult. 55 years on from the first publication of the Catalog, it mostly lives on in the interstices — as a symbol of a vibrant countercultural history and an inspiration for writers, designers, and technologists, but less so as an actual set of catalogs that you can read. The Catalog is not lost media per se — copies can be found in libraries, archives, and personal collections across the world — but accessing its trove of information is no longer as easy as it was in its heyday.

That is, until now.

~ Jacob Kuppermann from, The Lasting Whole Earth Catalog

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and then, that original project rose from the ashes to be something even better.

Sometimes, I find something that warms my dark, frozen, disenchanted, bitter, burnt-out heart. I don’t subscribe to notions like “information wants to be free” but when I see things like this
 well, I get a little warm–fuzzy inside.

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Small but mighty

February 9, 2024

There’re countless decisions one makes and simply put, the smallest decisions are just as important as the biggest ones. Few are biggest. Innumerable are the smallest. Plus, there’s huge variation in the amount of time I have to consider—or to over-think as the case may be—each choice. Some say choose sooner; Some say delay choosing. Even when we choose to not decide, that’s still a choice.

Every event has two handles, Epictetus said: “one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can’t. If your brother does you wrong, don’t grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifting it. Instead, use the other—that he is your brother, that you were raised together, and then you will have hold of the handle that carries.” Another way to say that is that there are multiple ways to look at every situation, multiple ways to determine how you’re going to react. Some of them are sturdy and some of them are not. Some are kind and resilient, some are not. Which will you choose? Which handle will you grab?

~ Ryan Holiday from, These 14 Small Mindset Shifts Will Change Your Life

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There are a handful of small but mighty ideas that have the ability to often get me off the floor, or out of bed, when all seems pointless. This particular one works quite often. Pick that article apart. Keep what you find useful. Discard the rest.

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Curious with Suzi Nou

February 8, 2024

Curious – with Suzi Nou

What influences the approaches and perspectives of podcast creators as they navigate both technical and personal aspects of their craft?

Suzi Nou joins Craig to discuss how passion and curiosity—for podcasting and anesthesiology—intertwine, revealing the depths of medical podcasting and the art of engaging conversations.

There is this breadth of what people recall— what people know. Medicine has advanced, and they might be stuck in their practice that they were doing five, ten years ago, with that technique because it works for them. It works really well. And I don’t want to say it’s a bad technique, but there’s newer techniques coming through, and those new techniques work really well in the hands of those people learning them and practicing them regularly.

~ Suzi Nou, 7:10

Suzi Nou and Craig Constantine meander through the intricacies of medical podcasting, the evolution of an anesthesiologist’s career, and the impact of podcasting on personal and professional growth. Suzi shares her experiences as the president of the Australian Society of Anesthetists during the pandemic, as a podcast host keen on exploring the vast landscape of medical advancements and techniques. She reflects on how podcasting served as an efficient tool to disseminate vital information during the early days of COVID-19, addressing the urgent queries of anesthesiologists nationwide.

I think as long as I am intrigued and curious about anesthetists in Australia, there’ll be something in there that makes me want to do it.

~ Suzi Nou, 26:20

The conversation also explores the creative challenges and opportunities presented by podcasting. Suzi discusses her vision for her podcast as a platform to showcase the depth of talent within the Australian anesthesiology community. Beyond the technicalities of medicine, they touch on the concept of “podfade” and the continuous quest for relevance and engagement in the podcasting space. Suzi expresses curiosity about the future directions of her podcasting endeavors, including a potential sabbatical in Europe and the concept of podcasting 2.0, which intrigues her due to its technical complexities.

Takeaways

The power of podcasting — how it serves as an efficient means to disseminate information rapidly.

Impact on personal and professional growth — podcasting as a tool for learning and improvement, enhancing questioning skills, and better engagement with trainees and patients.

Challenges of staying relevant — the concept of “podfade” and the continuous quest for engaging content and connection with the audience in the ever-evolving podcast landscape.

Creative side projects in podcasting — the potential for branching out into other areas of interest, such as podcasts aimed at children or exploring completely different topics, to keep the creative juices flowing.

The significance of networking — the importance of expanding one’s network through podcasting, which can facilitate connections and provide resources across the globe.

Personal anecdotes as learning tools — using personal experiences and stories to make complex topics more relatable and understandable for a wider audience, including non-specialists.

Resources

Suzi Nou — on LinkedIn

Australian Anaesthesia — Suzi Nou’s podcast.

ASA — The Australian Society of Anaesthetists: A professional association that supports and connects anesthesiologists in Australia.

Podcast 2.0 — An initiative aimed at evolving podcasting through new features and technologies.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Rasa with Andrew Suseno

February 7, 2024

Rasa with Andrew Suseno

What is the purpose and impact of the Moving Rasa initiative, particularly in fostering personal transformation, collective identity, and community resilience?

Andrew Suseno joins Craig to describe how Moving Rasa transforms trauma into collective healing and empowerment through movement, redefining personal boundaries and identity in profound ways.

Andrew Suseno describes the transformative work of Moving Rasa, a continuation from his earlier focus on Parcon Resilience. Andrew and Craig begin with an introduction to two upcoming retreats designed for Asian American Pacific Islanders and BIPOC communities, emphasizing rest, recuperation, and abolition. These retreats aim to support community organizers by reconnecting them with their bodies and helping restore their life rhythms. The events serve as a platform for individuals from marginalized communities to engage in healing practices, fostering a sense of empowerment and collective well-being.

Rasa means taste in Indonesian, and it also means discernment of feeling with the heart. It isn’t just about what our relationship to food is, but it’s what our relationship to anything is— whether it’s a picture on the wall, a book that we read, a friend, a value that we might have. And just like we might have a sensory understanding of what something tastes like, we have a sensory understanding of our rasa for anything. And that sensory understanding can be moved into and explored and improvised with and moved with others.

~ Andrew Suseno, 5:25

Andrew elucidates the concept of “Rasa,” explaining its multifaceted meanings that encompass taste, discernment of feeling with the heart, and essence in various languages, including Indonesian and Sanskrit. This concept underpins the ethos of Moving Rasa, encouraging participants to explore and connect with their essence through movement improvisation.

The conversation further explores the transformative potential of acknowledging and moving through trauma in community settings. Through the lens of Moving Rasa, Andrew shares insights into creating spaces where individuals can engage in self-discovery and collective healing. The dialogue highlights the importance of patience, love, and community in navigating personal and collective liberation journeys, offering a nuanced perspective on time, self-love, and the construction of communal identities.

What if we started with ourselves? What if we forgave ourselves for punishing ourselves? What does that open up in our relationships with others, with ourselves, with objects, with ideas? What movements are possible there? 
both literally—physically—movements, but also what movements are possible in the world? 
what you can create?

~ Andrew Suseno, 31:01

Takeaways

The concept of Rasa — a multifaceted term signifying taste, discernment of feeling, and essence, guiding participants towards connecting with their cultural and personal essence.

Community healing and empowerment — Moving Rasa retreats aimed at Asian American Pacific Islanders and BIPOC, focusing on creating spaces for individuals to restore rhythms and engage with their bodies in a healing manner.

Creating brave spaces — as a method to support trauma recovery and collective healing.

The importance of collective identity — a way of sharing burdens and expanding the definition of identities within community spaces, fostering self-determination and expansive identity construction.

Abolition as a personal and collective journey — introduced as a theme for contemplation and practice, encouraging self-forgiveness and the cessation of self-punishment to unlock new possibilities in relationships and movements.

The role of patience, love, and community — as foundational elements in the practice, with a call to reevaluate our relationship with time, cultivate self-love through community support, and actively engage in co-creating a shared future.

Resources

The specific, upcoming events mentioned in this episode are: Feb 16 — AAPI Emergent Retreat and Feb 23 — BIPOC Emergent Retreat

Moving Rasa Testimonials — Testimonials page, for the several testimonials discussed.

https://movingrasa.com/ — Moving Rasa is an improvisational movement form and contemplative practice that may be practiced anywhere. Movers connect their inner world to their outer movement AND how it is organized in relation to others, objects, and the environment. In particular, movers are supported to connect to their Rasa.

https://movingrasa.com/engage — Upcoming Moving Rasa events.

@moving.rasa — on Instagram

Andrew Suseno: Ancestors, Parcon Resilience, and Rasicism — Andrew’s previous appearance on the Movers Mindset podcast.

Gotong-royong — An Indonesian philosophy mentioned as influencing the Moving Rasa process, emphasizing collective burden-sharing and expansive, self-determined identity construction.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Try it

February 7, 2024

I’ve described a problem as being the ability to explain the current state (of something, anything you care to imagine) and a desired state. The problem is that those states are different. Unfortunately, the word “problem” comes packed with negative connotation. That’s not what I’m suggesting here. The “problem(s)” I’m talking about are anything you desire to change.

A critical feature of intelligence is the ability to describe those two states; that’s literally how you do all the intentional things that you do. Current state, desired state
 and then working to get from the current state to the desire state is being a problem solver.

In his book, Principles, Ray Dalio describes leadership as something very similar: having the ability to a) visualize a future state be it physical, spiritual, emotional, or all three and b) find the people and the resources needed to make it happen.

~ Cierra Martin from, «https://www.gapingvoid.com/blog/2023/09/17/going-from-idea-to-impact/»

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Any time anything makes me think, I label it “good”. This is a good little article from Martin.

But Dalio’s description in the quoted bit above—I’ve not read the book, perhaps this gets covered therein—skips over the actual hard part. It’s giving a nice step 1, then step 3 map. When one tries to solve a problem (“problem” as I described above) which involves other people, there is also a step 2: Getting other people to understand you. And you’ve probably noticed that turns out to be really difficult.

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The trick

February 5, 2024

The only thing better than well-thought-out articles, with a nice water–color image, that refer to a good book, that tie together some thoughts I was already having, published on the open web making the Internet a better place? When it’s written by someone I know personally. Here, have this


The good news is that, according to Csikszentmihalyi, it is totally in my power to maintain flow, or at least maximize the amount of time spent in the flow state. After all, the attention split between the conflicting objectives happens entirely in my head. The trick, for the lack of a better word, is to convince myself to take interest in what needs to be done and to apply mental energy in order to increase the complexity of the activity at hand.

~ Peter Oshkai from, More on flow and photography

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For me, that attention split—my perception that there actually exist conflicting objectives—is the source of struggle. When I simply don’t invent the need for anything I enjoy doing to be a successful business
 Boop. It’s all pleasant creation, heavy lifting and flow state.

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I do have some rules

February 4, 2024

One rule is: Anything I find, which ticks two (or more!) boxes from my list of decadent favorite pastimes, I must include herein. For example: Something that bashes on social media platforms and makes me chuckle out loud? Oh, that’s getting included. Another rule, written but almost impossible to enforce, is: Don’t over think it.

The humble knife is a good example. An edged tool for cutting tough materials apart is just as useful to 21st-century home chef as it was to a nomadic hunter a hundred thousand years ago. The long past of the knife suggests it will have a long future. In other words, we’re probably not living in the last few years of an eons-long Knife Era.

By the same token, something that has just become “a thing” is less likely to be a long-lasting thing. If everyone around you is suddenly watching rapid-fire videos on something called TikTok, what are the odds we’re in the first few years of a thousand-year TikTok Era?

~ David Cain from, This Will Not Always Be a Thing

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But unlike Fight Club, this entire online blog/web site I have isn’t built upon self-delusion
 waaaaaaaaait a minute.

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