A couple days ago, I started drafting what was to be my next blog post. I was in the middle of constructing a paragraph about how I was ashamed to admit that I was currently addicted to phone games when I realized that was not the paragraph I wanted to write. I visited an arcade with some coworkers a few weeks back and it unintentionally kicked off almost two weeks of complete and total time wasting via free game downloads on my phone. Seattle’s Snowpacalypse blessed me with almost a week of time in which my solo duties were to protect my building’s tenants from the snow with my trusty broom and to keep the place as clean as possible (the usual) so I had plenty of time to work on my empire… but instead I couldn’t stop matching virtual mahjong tiles.
TheRingOfDOOM with the Holy Grail and Holy Flatware
When I was living in my art studio, I managed to stay motivated because I had turned my creative endeavors into a game. That game ended back in September (with 421 work blocks in nine months) and I was in dire need of reshaping my goals and finding inspiration, so I finally created MY new game for life a couple nights ago. Armed with my list of 2019 goals and the knowledge that creating in 90 minute work blocks works very well for me, I crafted my motivation for the year ahead with scissors, paper, thumbtacks, a Sharpie, and a postcard of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The postcard of Michelangelo’s masterpiece is to remind me what one person can accomplish if they just keep working toward their goals. I’ve already discovered that I’m more productive when I’m gainfully employed so I’ll be more than doubling my creative efforts this year.
The main goal of my game is to complete 1,111 ninety minute work blocks by the end of 2019. This works out in such a way that if I complete four work blocks (six hours) a day, I could still create nothing for almost two months and still reach my goal. I plan on accomplishing this feat while still delivering pizza and managing this micro studio apartment building. I’ve already completed the first ten work blocks since I started my game in the wee hours of the morning on 2/13 and made it to my first checkpoint! My next checkpoint is at 44 work blocks; future checkpoints are at 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777, 888, 999, and the final 1111. It’s funny how creating a checkpoint system to reach a lofty goal in the game of life can inspire me to take action; Mary Poppins had it right. The grand prize for completing this game I created for myself will be to be able to look back on what I’ve accomplished in 2019 with amazement. Even if I lose, I still win.
The 11 categories on my board are all activities that I truly enjoy that will enhance my own life and also help to build the empire of curated weirdness that I’m working toward. The categories are Collage, Website, TheRingOfDOOM, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, Interviews, Photoshop, Resin, Jewelry, and Organizing (Digital or Analog). Throughout 2019, I’m hoping to finish (or build on) a bunch of projects that I’ve already started that fit into these categories. One of these projects is the music video encyclopedia that I started on my website back in 2009. Since I truly love sharing my favorite music with others but I prefer not to classify it by genre, I began curating posts of music videos that had something else in common… like whether or not the videos had desert scenes, special effects, cats, rappers behind fences, reptiles, blue lighting, turtlenecks, etc. This meant I could post old Tom Petty videos next to my new favorite underground rap videos and it would still make sense. It also means that I hold my acquaintance’s music to a higher standard as I’ll be placing it alongside music that has already been deemed classic.
On the new site, I’m sharing only three of my favorite examples from each category PLUS providing a link to a YouTube playlist that contains ALL the videos to be consumed on your SmartTV/laptop/phone/whatever you invent next. For example, the “A” page has lists of music videos featuring Abandoned Buildings, Adidas, Aircraft, All About The Dance Moves, Alter Egos, American Flags, Animals, Animated, and At The Water’s Edge. The B page has 20+ categories so far and I’m still just extracting the music I’ve left dormant on my old site. It often seems like a truly ridiculous endeavor that no one but myself will enjoy but the world stands to gain from this project way more than they would if I beat level 188 of Mahjong City Tours. The many hours I will spend creating this MusicVideoPedia will help shine light on thousands of musicians from all over the world if I promote it right or if it goes unnoticed it will merely add to the girth of my internet footprint. Stand by for more weirdness…
SONG OF THE DAY
James Blake - “I’ll Come To” 2019 My love for this new James Blake album is still blossoming…