The What and the Why
A bit more on why I've created this space and my goals for what I hope it becomes.
Let’s take a step back for a minute. Some of you might be asking, what is this? Or, why did I subscribe? Or, where did I leave my keys? The answer is that I don’t know.
We are a few weeks into this experiment. While I’ve previewed some of my ideas and motivations, it’s worth a deep dive on the what and the why. The easier question is the why. I have fairly strong motivations for why I created this space, which I’ll get into below. Defining the what, though, is harder at this early stage. I’m not sure what this will eventually turn into, but let’s talk about that now, including some of my ideas.
The What
At a minimum, this is a place for me to share my creativity. I like to write, but until now, I didn’t have a good place to share that writing. Photography is similar. There are a lot of places, primarily on social media, to share photographs, but those forums are deeply unsatisfying. I’ll still post photography from time to time on those other platforms, but social media, I think, makes creativity harder, not easier. It’s probably worth it’s own post at some point, but bottom line, I needed something different. I needed something that would encourage my creativity, not detract from it.
Sharing my creativity is just part of the story though, this is also a place to discuss life outside of work. A place for me to document thoughts, ideas, activities, and events that impact my life, and hopefully to explore similar themes with others. My ultimate goal, beyond finding a space to share my own creativity and motivation, is to inspire others to explore their own creativity and motivation. To explore hobbies, push themselves outside their comfort zone, and to developing expertise in new areas.
In terms of what to expect. I have a lot of ideas. I hope, at a minimum, to write once a week about what is top of mind, such as the recent posts on gratitude and the end of summer. And along with that weekly writing, I plan to publish photography, such as this post from earlier in the week sharing photography.
I also plan to write and share longer essays, narrative non-fiction, and short stories. I’m working on a few projects, though they may take awhile to finish. So, I doubt there will be any set cadence for the creative materials, but we’ll see how it goes.
Finally, I would love to interview others about their hobbies. If you are passionate about something and want to share your experience, please reach out.
All of that is to say that I have big designs on this space, and whether all of it will ultimately happen, I don’t know. Either way, thank you for coming along for the journey.
The Why
I’m in my head a lot, many of you probably know that about me. I have a ton of ideas bouncing around at any given moment. Some are terrible. Some are great. Most are just flickers that go away as quickly as they came, but a few stick around. This idea, of creating my own space to share thoughts, ideas, and experiences, has stuck around.
What crystalized the idea for this space and pushed me forward, though, was turning forty. As I came upon forty and realized that I hadn’t yet achieved a number of my goals, I began to understand that it didn’t actually matter very much. The temporal limitation of time that I placed on my goals, to do “x” by “y” age, was artificial and a self-imposed mental hurdle, something I’d created and placed in my own way. By viewing my life not as a series of goals to be achieved, but as a journey to be walked, I have become less goal oriented than I used to be. And for someone who has always been extremely focused on achieving the next goal, it’s freeing.
Instead, by now focusing on the journey, I am also focused on the process. Not so much on how to achieve a given goal, but instead on how to get better and how to enjoy each activity for its own sake. And the impact on my well-being has been profound. I not only view my hobbies in new ways, but I view all aspects of my life, including time spent on work and family in new ways. They all fit together and complement each other rather than compete. If I’m not taking photographs, it’s because I’m focusing on other important aspects of living a full life. This is something that I want to explore, to write about, and to discuss with others.
On Hobbies
For a long time, I didn’t focus on my hobbies. I focused on school, or work, or family, a lot of focus on work. I dabbled in photography and writing, but I didn’t try hard to develop expertise. Part of it was a lack of time, but the biggest hurdle, I think, was that it was intimidating. It’s scary to try new things and put yourself out into the world as a writer, or photographer, especially when others are so incredibly talented.
I was stuck. Not until I got to Colorado and people asked what I did for fun, instead of what I did for a living, that my paradigm began shifting.
The people I met were passionate about interests outside of work, whether it be mountain biking, or climbing, or gardening, or cooking, or wine. They were all developing expertise. I was fascinated by this phenomenon. So I started focusing on my other interests as well.
Initially, I focused primarily on writing. I started taking classes and learning the craft, which helped motivate me to then write the first draft of my novel.
Then I got more serious about photography. Photography has always been an interest of mine, but I never thought that I would make money from it. And then I met people who were able to sell their photographs, which made it seem possible for me as well. I upgraded my gear, learned a few things about how to take better photographs, and started going to workshops. Before long, I started getting more confident and developing expertise.
Now, don’t confuse that with being an expert, which I am not, but learning about writing and photography gave me an appreciation for acquiring skills outside of the classroom. And it made me want to get better.
Recently, I’ve started taking what I learned through writing and photography, and applying it to physical pursuits. I’ve always known that I could write and take photographs for years to come, but I had a perception that whatever my fitness was in my thirties, well that’s what it would be, or worse, for the rest of my life.
As my thirties came to a close, though, I started reevaluating this misguided perception. Forty does not have to be the high-water mark. I could be in the best shape of my life in ten years, or twenty, so there’s no reason to stop working now. Also, as I’ve gotten older, fitness has become less a chore and more of an opportunity. Rather than seeing fitness as purely getting in shape, I think about it with greater dimensionality.
To write productively (and to be successful at my job), I need to have high levels of energy. To manage my energy, I need to be in shape and eat well.
To take incredible photographs that express a unique artistic vision, I also need to be in shape and to understand and be able to navigate challenging environments in nature. Indeed, landscape and nature photography at its best is not a sedentary pursuit. It requires stamina and perseverance in all kinds of weather and topography. I need to not just have the physical fitness to access places few others can, but I need to develop mountaineering and survival skills to navigate those places and survive (and get the shot).
Climbing mountains is just plain cool, and fun. It’s perhaps the most blunt force way to goal check. Yeah, I know, this place is about the journey and not about specific goals. While true, summiting a mountain means that you achieved something in the most elemental way possible. And, it is a magnificent reason to get in shape and a tremendous way to stay in shape.
Doing triathlons is something that I find particularly motivating. I like the idea that I can do triathlons for the next forty years (see what I did there), and that there are various lengths from sprint to Ironman. For me, now, even completing the shortest distance is a challenge, a challenge worth embracing. And I like that to do triathlons, you necessarily have to cross-train, something that I’ve always felt important, not only to stay healthy but also because doing only one activity is dreadfully boring.
As I get older, I see the impact of age on how I interact with the world in my daily life. I need to stay active and motivated now to be active and motivated in old age.
While these are not the only factors that impact my approach to physical fitness, they are top of mind at this moment.
One last thing that has stuck out about my journey is that I have more hobbies than a lot of other people. If you want to golf, I’ll golf with you. If you want to rock climb, same. I may not be good, but I like to try new things, I don’t like to be bored, and there are very few things I actively dislike. In other words, if you want to do something fun that’s not too dangerous, then I’m probably game.
Also, I’m a huge advocate for developing interests outside of the office. I’ve pushed my wife to try new things and to find hobbies, and the people I like to hang out with are interesting. They are an easy yes, so whether I know a lot about this space or not, I’m not sure. But I care a lot about developing hobbies and believe that they are powerful. So it’s a natural focus and it dovetails nicely with my parallel interest in sharing my creative pursuits.
Taking Stock
A little check-in on how it’s been going.
My writing progress has been great. I started this, which is a significant milestone. I’ve written more in the last three weeks than I’ve written in a very long time. And I have a few people willing to read what I write, which is wonderful.
Photography has been challenging lately. With the exception of last weekend, I have found it hard to get motivated. Some of it is having a young daughter and a busy job. But some of it is also that I’ve started shifting my artistic mindset. Instead of a focus on just documenting pretty scenes, I find that I want to develop my voice. I want my photography to say something. It doesn't have to be profound, but I want it to be differentiated from other artists. I want someone to see one of my photographs and know that I took it. And that’s hard, developing voice is hard because it can only really come when expertise (something I’m still developing) intersects with a vision and then there’s the inspiration and drive to make it a reality. So I’m a little stuck, but like everything else, it’s a process.
On doing a triathlon, I’ve started working out consistently again, which is a good start. I’ve mostly been running short distances and doing weight training. My running times are terrible. They are so bad that I won’t share them, at least not yet (some people would not even consider it running). I’ve been doing heart rate training, trying to stay in Zone 2 to build endurance. For me, I think that’s a heart rate of about 130, though that’s a rough estimate. It’s difficult to stay under that number. So, my times are very slow. I also need to start swimming again, something I think I’ll start mixing in next week. The swimming is by far the most challenging, but also the most rewarding. I’m less concerned about the biking. In the spring, I was riding the exercise bike a ton and it was excellent cardio. I just need to start working it back into my routine. The biggest challenge here, though, is time. Working out takes a lot of time, which is a precious commodity.
On climbing, I haven’t taken any concrete steps, but I have started to sketch out what I think is doable in the near future. For starters, I’m trying to convince some of my cousins to come out to Colorado next summer to hike. If we could get five to seven days of dedicated climbing, then I think we could knock out some awesome hikes and gain some confidence. One of my cousins has specifically expressed an interest in mountaineering, so I’m starting to think about what mountaineering training we could arrange. I hope there will be more to report not this front in the near future.
Inspiration
Here are a few things that I’m reading, listening to, and watching right now that are giving me motivation or making me happy.
I am in a non-fiction book club with ten or so of my friends.
Our read for this month is Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millenials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents — and What They Mean for America’s Future by Jean M. Twenge.
The runner-up was The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.
I also picked up and would recommend How to Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey.
I’ve been playing the Connections game from the New York Times. It’s hard once you get started but enjoyable (and much quicker than the crossword).
Recently I’ve been obsessed with the Fly on the Wall podcast hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade. If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, then you should check it out.
This article from the Harvard Business Review about hobbies puts a finer point on why I decided to create this space.
And I thought this humor piece from The New Yorker was fitting.
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As always, thank you for reading. Please send me a note or leave a comment with any reactions, and I hope everyone has a good weekend.