The other day, I had the opportunity to hear Kat Edmonson, a jazz singer, talk about her singing career. She posited that the creative life is one of saying “yes” and of being willing to take opportunities and chances. I share her sentiments toward the creative life, so it was a joy to listen to her speak about her own journey.
Precipices and the Creative Life
To be a writer (insert “artist,” “musician,” et cetera) is to embrace fear. It’s to embrace a fear of failure. It’s to embrace a fear of success. It’s to embrace a fear of the known and the unknown.
Write Right: Who versus Whom
I think it’s time to tackle the problematic question of “who” versus “whom.” The question is a problem; if I watch any television show or newscast, I know that an actor or anchor is bound to use the wrong word. My guess is that most people don’t notice the mistake. I do, but that’s why I have a red pen. It’s my job to notice the errors and, I hope, to be paid to correct them or to coach the offending individual.
The Things I Keep
I should subtitle this post “A Case of Copy and Paste.” I have learned, after spending some time with my two sites’ databases and after having someone else look at those databases, that I am not going to be able to import my old posts into my new site. I could let those posts remain on the old site – I probably will for at least a little while longer – but I would like to have them on the new one.
What is Failure?
Perhaps failure is a gift. Perhaps it’s the muse, as Hugh MacLeod suggests. Perhaps it isn’t the terrible thing it sometimes is made to be.
And the Winner Is…
And the winner is…not Michael Schechter. Sorry, Michael. The winner is Jason Konopinski. I’m almost certain he’s going to celebrate with a Snoopy dance; at least, I hope he’s excited enough about winning that he’ll want to dance a Snoopy dance.