[Insider 67] Leaving Room for Magic

2022 in Review Pt 3

Dear Reader,

(18 July 2023) This post is now FREE to all readers, as part of my commitment to learn in public.

I want to be free. I want to share everything I learn. Your support lets me do this.

This month I am doing an audit of my year’s work. It is the conclusion of my year-long resolution to learn in public.

The SneakyArt (Insider) Post is the Sunday edition written exclusively for paying subscribers.

In case you missed it, catch the amazing media coverage I received this month for my artist residency - on early morning radio with Stephen Quinn, and on the evening news at 6 on CBC!

🎯 Learning in Public

This year I made a commitment to share everything I learn. I did it for the first time when I shared the how and why of self-publishing my first book, SneakyArt of Eau Claire (buy the book). Incidentally, it is my most popular post of the year. I also shared my takeaways from the Substack Fellowship program and a primer on how I make the SneakyArt Podcast.

Learning and teaching go hand-in-hand. A still from my “Be Sneaky” workshop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Recently, I conducted a “Be Sneaky” workshop for participants at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Check out my best ideas, tips, tricks, and location sketches from the workshop.

But learning in public is also a commitment to share what does not work. This year I have shared with Insiders my various fears and insecurities. In return, I have found solidarity, kindness, and community. Learning in public works best when there is a real person on the other end. I am glad to have you. Thank you for giving me a portion of your time and attention.

In Part 1 of this audit, I shared a brave moment, a big disappointment, and a big win from the year. In Part 2, I shared my re-commitment to art and a counter-intuitive way to be in charge of my work.

Today’s post is Part 3.

🚤 Pacing Myself

This year I learned to give myself a break. I am not a machine, I realized.

Years of sharing work on social media have made me paranoid about becoming irrelevant, and desperate to please the algorithm gods. But early in the summer, I recognized the need to pause the podcast. I was not exhausted. But I felt depleted.

Does that make sense?

I decided to give myself some quiet time, to let the inner monologue come up with new questions. I am not a machine, I realized, and this is a good thing. Read my announcement post just before I went on vacation.

On vacation in the Netherlands, I did several demos with various USk chapters.

This was also my first time meeting listeners of the SneakyArt Podcast. I picked up a lot of good advice and many flattering compliments. I even recorded a field episode at the Utrecht meet-up (top left pic above)!

🪄 Leaving Room for Magic

I first articulated this while speaking to Jim Richards in Episode 43 of the SneakyArt Podcast. It might be the most significant lesson from everything I have done this year.

Talk is cheap. Ideas are easy. And plans are just wishful thinking. It is human folly to imagine that we can completely control the path of our lives. In fact, I am not even sure if it is useful to try.

When dealing with things larger than yourself, it is a good idea to leave room for magic.

For example, I do this with every podcast conversation. I prepare but not too much. I learn some things about my guest, but not too many. I make rough plans for the conversation, but I let the guest take me down any rabbit holes. For best results, I leave room for magic.

For more, read about the cheat-sheets I make before every recording - how they help me and when I ignore them.

The cheat sheet for Ep 43 and 44.

I do this with drawings too. I rarely know how an interesting scene will look on paper. I have a couple of good ideas that are enough to get started. New ideas drop in with every line that follows. The end-result coming from a series of spontaneous, small decisions is greater than I could have imagined or planned.

To create something greater than yourself, leave room for magic.

There is a great liberation here. You do not need to have all the answers to get started. All you need are a couple of good ideas and the willingness to go on a journey.

In fact, too much knowledge can be an obstacle. In the episode with Jim Richards, we speak also about the value of naivete - doing a thing without knowing all the ways it might fail.

The biggest projects of my life will begin with the new year. I am excited to take this journey with you. Thank you, dear Insiders, for your support of my work.