The author of the Oatmeal recently published a comic strip called "Creativity is like breathing" and it was one of the best things I've seen on the Internet in a while, so I wanted to share it with you here.
The way I work is indeed very close to breathing. First I inhale, then I exhale. Inhaling is the act of getting inspired, reading books, watching great movies and riding my skateboard along the beach.
Exhaling takes form in my writing, my podcast, publishing photographs and taking part in speaking engagements around the world.
Sometimes the exhale part ends up being a stretch and there is some imbalance between the inhale and the exhale. You simply can't exhale forever.
The last couple weeks I barely had the chance to inhale, which made me think and analyze the situation. I always like to see the human body & mind like computer program. If I find an error, I try to reproduce it, debug it, and then build mechanics to prevent similar errors to happen again.
I noticed that I stopped doing the activities I do during the inhale process. I haven't finished a book in almost two months. I haven't discovered any great music. I didn't take great care of my health, especially because I took traveling as an excuse. So, the last few weeks I started inhaling again and it feels great. And instead of doing this just for myself, I share it with you, trying to just be useful.
I finished reading a book on the Law Of Attraction by Pam Grout called "E-Squared". Then I started reading the new book by Ryan Holiday with the title "Ego is the enemy" which I've been enjoying a lot. I will report back once I'm finished.
I discovered a new band called Movement on Spotify which I had on repeat pretty much all last month. In particular their song 5:57. Also the song "Place to be" by Surreal and The Sound Providers. And if you want one more, check out "Solaris" by Retro Stefson. Maybe it's time for me to create a new mixtape for you soon again?
On recommendation by my friend Able & Julia I got myself a foam roller and massage ball from Amazon. On top of it, I started doing basic Yoga routines with the help of an app called Yoga Studio which I highly recommend. While I can tell you that the Yoga is not yet relaxing for me (because I'm a newbie) the foam roller and massage ball are absolutely worth their money. My friend Mackey sent me these videos from OriginOfEnergy the other day which serve as my new inspiration. Foam rolling around 3x a day so far & it feels great.
I started taking more pictures that are outside my comfort zone. I loved taking these pictures of the empty Venice Beach skatepark last week in LA. A different kind of perspective on a popular subject. Today I had another spontaneous portrait photoshoot with a friend of mine in Brooklyn. (And if you know me, I'm the guy who only photographs static landscapes & buildings that can't run away. Basically everything but people.) Will upload more of the session this week to my Instagram.
Also, last week one of my biggest inspirations passed away. Bill Cunningham, who has inspired me ever since I first discovered his work. I never met Bill in person but spotted him multiple times in New York riding his bike along 5th avenue. He has been a silent mentor of mine since many years, but I never made the effort talking to him on the street. He always seemed so focused on his work, I just couldn't disturb him. Every time I felt stuck with my work or felt like the commercial world is killing me, I looked to Bill for answers. If you're not familiar with Bill Cunningham please first watch this documentary and then read this article by Bill Cunningham about Bill Cunningham. I promise you, you will be inspired.
_
I know this weekly email is pretty different to all the others you've read so far, but I hope you enjoyed this package of links and inspiration for a fresh new week.
As always, I'm here for you on Twitter. What inspired you the last month? Tell me via Twitter @vanschneider if you like (:
Have a wonderful week
Tobias
