Week #18, 2025
Week #18 of 2025 has arrived... and gosh dang it, the tulips we planted last fall are STILL blooming. I had to share a picture. The world is still full of wonder.
Time to walk over to your 4K Weeks poster and fill in another square. Done?
I saw a video about creativity this week, and the number one rule was to develop and maintain a childlike sense of wonder about the world. I can't think of better advice for living in general.
Only good things can come from leaning in to the beauty of spring tulips, or the harmony choices in a masterful performance like this one, (I was surprised no one mentioned it when I linked to it last week!) or how cute a chubby baby is.
If you need permission, here's your hall pass... Let yourself be overwhelmed by the beauty of existence and barf that overwhelm out on those around you. Life is too short not to be amazed.
If you have a minute, forward this email to a friend, and subscribe and/or rate the podcast! That is a super awesome way to say you appreciate it... and surely you know a few people who would like to subscribe... go on... tell them to!
Listen to this newsletter as podcast. We're on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
ON WEEK #18 OF 1910...
Captain Claude Grahamme-White piloted the first night air flight in England.
He was 1,601 weeks or 30.7 years old.
The first flight... at night... 115 years ago. We have only been flying at night for 115 years. Blink of an eye.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"While we stop to think, we often miss our opportunity." - Publilius Syrus
This one is particularly hard for me. I am not sure if you feel the same way, but I have a very weak connection to "my gut". Some people are very good at going with their instincts. I, however, have so many thoughts and perspectives in my head that it is hard to hear the "one voice".
I believe that the solution is to try to quiet my mind and know, but this isn't natural to me and is going to take more work. It likely also has to do with my penchant for being focused on outcomes, and not the experiment.
Much work to be done... thoughts? Let me know: members.4kweeks.com
WHAT I AM CONSUMING THIS WEEK
Again, I have been creating a lot this week instead of consuming... We are having an open house for our brand Port of Curiosity in a few weeks, and we have also just started accepting commissions for the sculpture studio again.
I finally finished book 5 of The Stormlight Archives... wow... what will I do with myself now!!!
I thought instead of linking to a few podcasts this week, I would show you around the studio. So, here is a part one video tour of where I spend most of my days.
WHAT I AM THINKING ABOUT THIS WEEK
Focusing on outcomes -v- focusing on process
The hard part here is that it can be not very fulfilling to focus on process.
Process is the unnoticed 20 hours of grueling practice each week. Outcome is the Friday night basketball game with your girlfriend in the bleachers that you lose.
Process is the 10 years of struggling to make interesting things, all the while wondering if any of it matters. Outcome is the 6o minute gallery opening when strangers tell you they like your work but don't buy.
Process is the decades spent building expertise alone in the dark. Outcome is getting passed over for the promotion because of an economic downturn.
Not a single one of those outcomes is worth the process that it lead up to it.
And that's why you need to be in love with the process. You need to be excited to practice even if there are no games. You need to love to make the work even if there are no buyers. You need to be committed to digging so deeply to your subject that expertise and its resultant opportunities are a potential side effect.
Everyone loves to win games, sell work, and get promoted. Everyone loves the glory. Pros love the glory and dilettantes love the glory.
Only pros love the process. Only pros love the practice. Only pros love the work. Only pros would do the work even if there was no glory.
We are all dilettantes at some things... rare is the person who can be a pro in multiple arenas... it just takes too much dang focus.
But... make sure that you are trying with all your might to be a pro in at least one arena. It is the only way to differentiate yourself... and in an age of AI, it's going to get harder and harder to squeeze by with a mediocre effort.
If you want more of this, the book Turning Pro, by Steven Pressfield should be your next read.
Until next week!
Spencer,
Owner of 4KWeeks
DAD JOKE O' THE WEEK
What kind of cheese isn't yours?
Nacho cheese.
Think you can do better? Join our Dad Joke thread!
Leave a comment: