Today we continue our series of short Dispatches from the Workbench: updates on decisions, things I’m trying, and invitations I’m sharing.
I’ve found the process of thinking out loud with you really useful because it brings me to a different workbench. It’s not easy to write each week; it costs a lot of time and creative energy. The risk is that I spend so long on the craft that I fail to meaningfully invite people to be part of it. These Dispatches help to address that balance, so I can be of genuine service to others.
Anyway, in today’s Dispatch:
Are you a creative tourist?
Five questions to ask yourself.
An invitation to practitioners.
Are You a Creative Tourist?
Look at your bookshelf. The evidence of the Founder’s Noose in your life is probably just a few feet from where you’re sitting: the graveyard of unfinished books and untested wisdom. The repeated decision to buy the next solution before you’ve even read past chapter three of the last one.
That’s a lift from Saviour / Servant, where I explored how I responded to a period of professional insecurity by frantically joining courses, downloading playbooks, and spending what little I had on training.
I became a creative tourist.
I was dipping in and out of ideas looking for a solution for how I was feeling, whilst simultaneously not committing to anything for long enough to find out if it actually worked.
Like someone looking for their lost keys, I kept expanding the search instead of digging deeper in the room I was already in.
It might not be fear that fuels your inner creative tourist. It might be the subtle, ambient backdrop of professional dissatisfaction, or simply creative boredom. But if you’re a practitioner, artist, or creator, I want to encourage you to start digging and stop browsing.
There’s a book on my shelf called Three Feet from Gold. Of course, I haven’t read it. But the central metaphor, as shared with me, is that many people toil and dig, only to turn back when they are three feet from the treasure they seek.
I’m not advocating for a blind, endless march toward a pre-determined outcome. Sometimes we discover we need to adjust our direction, and we all need to be discerning about when enough is enough. But I think many of us (me included) could be more disciplined about finishing the read, committing to the experiment, and paying attention to what we’ve learned, even if it isn’t what we wanted.
Five Questions to Ask Yourself
These questions are completely open to interpretation. Your tourist might want you to jump to immediate specifics and answers, but I encourage you to hold them as tensions until you need them.
Take question 3 as an example: ‘If the tourist wants shortcuts, what unremarkable step can you commit to even if it doesn’t offer immediate relief?’ Look for the spark of energy you feel when you spot a shortcut or an unmissable offer, and then challenge yourself to do something else instead.
If the tourist wants to be seen, what un-celebrated grunt work will you serve today when absolutely no one is watching?
If the tourist wants inspiration, what boring rhythm will you maintain this week to deepen your work?
If the tourist wants shortcuts, what unremarkable step can you commit to even if it doesn’t offer immediate relief?
If the tourist wants to expand the search, what piece of raw material right in front of you will you mine instead?
If the tourist wants results, what unvarnished, messy first attempt will you make with the imperfect tools you already have?
In the age of infinite access, it’s all too easy to treat our creative pursuits like tourists on a bus tour: we hop off, take a quick photo of the summit (buy a course, try a new framework, launch a new handle), and the second it gets difficult or requires deep, unglamorous work, we hop right back on the bus and drive to the next shiny destination.
Trust me, the answers you seek aren’t around the next bend. They’re in you, waiting to be noticed.
Unpacking Your Bags
If you are ready to stop simply visiting your ideas and actually live them out, you might want to swap the blueprint for a practice ground.
It’s why I’ve started The Order of Unremarkable Creators: a small, quiet fellowship of makers and independent operators who are choosing to dig deeper in good company.
Take a look, because there’s a warm welcome waiting: https://join.unremarkable.co/ouc
That’s a wrap for today’s Dispatch. You won’t be hearing from me over the next week or two as Sonny, Laura, and I are taking our first vacation as a family.
I will check my messages from time to time, so if you need anything or you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always here if you need me, but I might just be a little slower for now. Your inner tourist is gonna hate it :)
Be well my friends, speak again soon.
Dan
