People are the Work

These two quotes, pulled from Austin Kleon's writings, have inspired me to pursue a different path when it comes to my ideas -- my "art," if one could call it that. In the past, I pursued my work linearly, logically, with the purity of the alchemist locked in a tower, turning lead into gold.

Like the alchemist, I learned that there is no true alchemy. For most things, there is no moment where the led finally becomes gold, where the painting is finally finished, the book finally written, the program finally "complete." To wait until such a moment is to wait for an eternity.

I also learn that most of my efforts are...imperfect.

Here, however, is where the alchemist and I take different paths. I must start with what Sturgeon might call "crap," but can grow into something better. But not on my own. Not in the tower, isolated from the world.

True alchemy comes in the living of life with others, in the sharing of ideas, and in understanding that people are the true work of life. Everything else is a means to that end.

Still, my mind creates things that need some escape into the physical world. Here, in future posts, I will try to give them some ghostly form. A few might even graduate from there, finding physical manifestation. But I start with writing.

In writing, I learn two things:

1. My thoughts are not nearly so detailed as the inspiration that drove them might lead me to believe; and

2. What you, my readers (so few) find compelling.

I will start with a few subjects that interest me, and see where that takes us. I'll not worry about SEO, keywords, length of article, or even in mixing content on what my audiences might like. I can improve on that in the days to come. Right now, it's just about the start.

Until next time.