Mountains are entities; you get to climb them, but you can’t conquer them. Put your arrogance aside. You can never beat a mountain into submission. If I summit it’s because I was in the right place at the right time.
~ Ed Viesturs
slip:4a644.
Mountains are entities →
Only one ! →
Writing is hard. (I hear you besmirching my intelligence.) One thing I constantly struggle with is exaggeration and hyperbole. There’s an ancient Bill Cosby skit about Noah trying to collect the animals after building The Ark—”Two mosquitos… male? female?!” and an endless fight with the rabbits, “only two. ONLY TWO!” But this post is about my recent efforts to use only one ‘!’ per post. And you thought that was a stray space there in the title. In this post, I’ve only used one ‘!’ in my punctuation. (Quoted ‘!’ characters I’m accounting to the speaker’s quota. It’s my blog and I’ll make up the rules as I go along, thank-you-very-much.)
One dimension of writing which I find hard is getting the range of expression wide. Quiet in parts, so to speak… err… to write— middle-volume mostly, and just a wee dash of shouting like a Scotsman at level 11. Over on that shouting end, I find that when I’m shift-reaching-for-the-1-key more than once, it’s time to reign that high end in tad. All of which speaks to that old tip about awareness: That which gets measured, gets improved.
Another dimension of writing I struggle with is vocabulary: I get lost reading my dictionary. I get curious about pronunciation—don’t get me started about how dictionaries used to be prescriptive and now are simply lazily being descriptive—and I end up learning for the umpteenth time that hyperbole does not ever rhyme with the little mammal known as a vole. It’s always hyperbole like Brenda-Lee… And, somehow, I thought that the rhymes-with-Brenda-lee pronunciation was a different word that was something like some kind of poetry. Possibly because hyperbole actually does rhyme with poetry? And anyway, on my w-a-y to h-y-, with m-y magnifying glass, I stopped at “Hilbert space” when it caught my e-y-e at the top of another page, as it was said page’s final entry. (What? “n. [David Hilbert] (1911) : a vector space for which a scalar product is defined and in which every Cauchy sequence composed of elements in the space converges to a limit in the space.”) Rats! I forgot what I was talking about.
ɕ
Five things →
The more you resist something, the more you make out of it. Everybody has their five things that they’re quietly resisting doing and a good day for them is when none of those resistances come and directly confront them.
~ Robert Downey Jr.
slip:4a643.
Richard Feynman →
I hesitated. “I’m sad because you’re going to die.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, “that bugs me sometimes too. But not so much as you think.” And after a few more steps, “When you get as old as I am, you start to realize that you’ve told most of the good stuff you know to other people anyway.”
~ Danny Hillis and Richard Feynman from, Richard Feynman and The Connection Machine – Long Now
slip:4a813.
slip:4ulori1.
When I’m reading, pull-quotes leap out. It hard to catch the actual process, but what I think happens is that my mind free-associates to something that resonates. I think it’s the strength of the resonance that slams my attention onto the particular bit I’m reading. My mind races off along connections. It is rare that I read something through, and then think: “I should share this,” or, “I should write about this.” It is rare that I have to hunt around for something to quote; Rather it’s the usually metaphorical blinding flash, but sometimes visceral embodied flash, of the pull-quote that tells me I should share it.
After the third blinding flash of, “that’s a pull-quote I have to share,” I stopped counting. I spent an hour with this short read—it’s only a few minutes of reading. Over and over I was struck by some bit, and my mind raced off. Each time, delighted to see where I was going, and with no intention of reigning in my train of thought.
…but this bit that I pull-quoted — I really hesitated. It’s almost a bit of spoiler. I certainly hope you don’t feel like it’s a spoiler. I certainly hope you do go over and read it.
ɕ
Opportunities with Heat Dziczek →
How can pursuing multiple creative passions and approaches shape personal growth and productivity in podcasting and beyond?
Balancing creative chaos with focus highlights the challenges and rewards of pursuing diverse passions.
[At] first I was like, ‘Oh, you know, I have these ninety seven ideas for a podcast.’ Okay, now I’ve got a whittled down to twelve, now I’ve got it whittled down to seven, now I’ve got four. I’ve got four ideas for a podcast and I was talking to a mastermind group that I have from a a workshop and they’re like, ‘Why don’t you just do all of them?
~ Heat Dziczek (3:01)
The conversation discusses the creative and practical aspects of podcasting, emphasizing the freedom to experiment with diverse ideas. Heat reflects on the challenge of narrowing down topics and deciding to integrate multiple themes into a single podcast. She shares the liberating realization that she can design her work in a way that aligns with personal goals rather than external expectations.
Another focus is personal growth, including learning to express positivity and overcoming negativity. Heat explains how this shift has influenced her creative pursuits and interactions. She also touches on balancing the pursuit of creative endeavors with financial sustainability, sharing insights into the complexities of monetizing passion projects without compromising their intrinsic value.
Takeaways
Integrating diverse ideas — Pursuing multiple creative threads in one project can be a source of innovation and fulfillment.
Learning positivity — Developing the habit of recognizing and expressing positive traits requires deliberate effort and can transform relationships.
Balancing creativity and practicality — Striking a balance between artistic passion and financial stability remains a recurring challenge for creators.
Freedom in podcasting — Podcasting offers flexibility to explore unique formats and ideas without rigid boundaries.
The influence of personal history — Past experiences and environments shape how individuals approach creative and interpersonal growth.
The power of gradual change — Incremental exposure to new ideas can lead to profound transformations over time.
The challenge of monetization — Making creative pursuits profitable often requires rethinking traditional approaches to work and income.
Resources
Buy Me a Coffee platform — Used by the speaker to accept support from podcast listeners.
Draft No. 4 — by John McPhee, referenced as an example of innovative narrative techniques.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
ɕ
Potential with Boston Blake →
What drives the unique satisfaction and challenges of creating and hosting a podcast focused on storytelling and community building?
Exploring myths and conversations showcases the depth of storytelling’s impact.
[S]o many people have incredible stories and incredible wisdom to share, and they just need a platform. But they’re scared to stand on the platform for whatever reason.
~ Boston Blake (12:01)
The conversation explores Boston’s experience with podcasting, emphasizing its rewards and challenges. Topics include the art of storytelling, the technical tools like Descript that streamline the editing process, and the fulfillment derived from creating platforms for diverse voices. Podcasting’s ability to provide meaningful connections during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic is also discussed, highlighting its unique role as a social outlet.
Additionally, the discussion dips into the difficulties of building and sustaining online communities, particularly for niche topics such as mythology. Boston shares insights on how podcasting acts as both a medium for personal growth and a means to empower others, while grappling with the challenges of audience engagement and creating dialogues beyond the episodes.
Takeaways
Storytelling in podcasting — A rewarding yet challenging way to share and explore myths, fairy tales, and personal narratives.
The impact of podcasting tools — Tools like Descript revolutionize podcast editing, enhancing clarity and listener engagement.
Creating platforms for others — Podcasting can serve as an empowering platform for individuals hesitant to share their stories.
Building online communities — Maintaining engagement in niche interest communities proves to be an ongoing challenge.
Social aspects of podcasting — Podcasting fosters connections and serves as a valuable social outlet, especially during isolating times.
Navigating technical challenges — Exploring various tools and platforms helps optimize the podcasting process.
Expanding audience reach — Finding effective ways to share podcasts with wider audiences remains a focus.
Resources
Descript — A podcast editing tool that simplifies workflows and improves audio clarity.
Canva — A design tool used for creating podcast cover art.
GoodPods — A social network platform for podcasters and listeners.
Twitter (Boston’s handle) — Twitter profile for updates and engagement.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
ɕ
Influence →
Why talk about what we want? That is childish. Absurd. Of course you are interested in what you want. You are eternally interested in it. But no one else is. The rest of us are just like you: We are interested in what we want. So the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.
~ Dale Carnegie
slip:4a642.
Solid thinking →
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
~ Marin Luther King Jr.
slip:4a641.
Recent work →
I had a cool conversation with Susanne Mueller for her podcast, Take it from the Ironwoman. She published part one as, Cool to Collaborate for Change in the Chaos of the World. 5 new episodes of the Podcaster Community’s companion show are published, and 2 more for Movers Mindset.
ɕ
Apt to escape →
I had, also, during many years, followed a golden rule, namely, that whenever a published fact, a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; For I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from memory than favorable ones.
~ Charles Darwin
slip:4a640.