What Inspires Me Lately

Live music, an amazing novel, and more.

Hey friends. These days I am trying to carve a little bit more time out for writing in this newsletter. I miss engaging with you all and having a bit of a mental playground to write out thoughts, share fun items, and the like.

Where I’ve Been

It’s been hard to write in this newsletter lately for a handful of reasons: I’m in a pretty demanding job; I have two girls under the age of five; I do a good bit of contract writing and consulting outside of my normal job; I serve in our local church.

Frankly, most days when all of my responsibilities are attended to in all of those areas, I’m fortunate if I have some time to read, watch TV, or play a video game before going to sleep—all tasks that are significantly less mentally-demanding than writing here. Of course, I saw this coming, which is why I pulled back from writing here as frequently as I was before our daughter Daisy was born in late 2023.

I see a sort of difference between “creative” energy and “consumptive” energy. This isn’t a tough or profound or unique concept, I promise.

“Creative energy” is the energy needed to produce something—a work of art, a song, an article, etc. Consumptive energy is the energy required to engage with someone else’s creative work—reading a book, watching a TV show, etc.

Because of my stage of life, creative energy can be hard to come by, but consumptive energy more often present. This is, I think pretty obviously, because consuming someone else’s work of creativity takes significantly less mental and physical energy than actually creating some kind of art.

So, all of that is to say, I’m just taking this season to not pressure myself to create, but I am trying to use it to consume in some constructive ways. For instance, I’m reading a lot of books and playing some tremendous story-driven video games that are helping inform creative work I hope to do when I am at a stage that allows for more creative energy flow.

But, I am hoping to write more consistently here as I am definitely beginning to feel the creative energy reach a sort of pressurization point in my soul such that it needs to be released or I will explode. My current job isn’t incredibly creatively fulfilling like some previous jobs have been, so I need an outlet for the creative energy I do sometimes encounter. And I’m hoping that some increased writing here will provide that release.

Feeling Inspired Lately

I often miss living in the Midwest. I like the more temperate climate. I like that fall generally arrives before Halloween. But man this is the best time of year to live in the South—as long as the tornadoes tone it down. Middle Tennessee has seen some very spring-like days lately, and while we are not fooled into believing that spring has officially arrived, we are enjoying every single one of them on the way to the green promised land.

This time of year is always sort of inspiring to me because of the emergence from the cold of winter into the warmth of new life. We had a pretty cold and snowy winter here in the Nashville area, and so the hints of spring have been especially meaningful this year.

I think the inspiration brought on by spring and its trappings are part of why I feel a renewed energy to get back to writing regularly here—at least as long as I can manage it.

Anyway, today I just wanted to share some things that have been inspiring to me lately. I am often most inspired to creative work by others’ creativity—most commonly people who are creative in ways I am not.

So, here are some things that have inspired me in one way or another lately.

Porter Robinson – ‘Cheerleader’ (live for Like A Version)

I’m a huge fan of Porter Robinson. His 2024 album Smile! :D was definitely my most-played music on Spotify last year. I saw him perform in Nashville in September and he was incredible. His live band is just tremendous. I especially appreciate how visceral this live performance is in comparison to the more tame and pristine album version.

Porter Robinson is a guy who comes out of an electronic music background, mostly making music on the computer and with a keyboard, who never really liked singing with his real voice, and who didn’t know how to play guitar until recently. He has often stuggled with imposter syndrome and considering himself a “real musician.”

But Porter’s started to sing without modifying his voice. He learned to play guitar for this album and tour. This live version of the hit single from his new album is just so great. I have watched it dozens of times at this point. The harmony from bassist Margot Liotta is especially good.

A Few Funny Thoughts on Futility and Work

Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the Bible. Contemplating futility doesn’t send me spiraling into a mental health crisis as much as it reminds me of what really matters in the end. As a result, the following thoughts I’ve encountered recently about futility make me laugh and, perhaps strangely, inspire me to hope.

“The first step of any meaningful pursuit is to severely underestimate its difficulty.” — A Funny Tweet I Saw

“This is an awesome idea. I can’t wait to see why it doesn’t work!” — The Sentiment of an Anonymous Friend

“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” — Lily Tomlin (Thanks, Ms. Frizzle.)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

I am a couple of years “late” to this book, it seems. But man. This book will stick with me for a long time. I finished it about a week ago, and I think I’ve thought about it at least once a day since I finished it. What would it be like to read a Holden Caulfield character you actually loved and wanted to succeed? It would be like this book.

I adored this book, and at the same time it made me terribly jealous because I wish I could write something like it. Maybe one day.

I think I’ve read more fiction since COVID than I did in my entire life to that point, but I’m usually more interested in fiction that tells great stories than I am in fiction that is a masterclass of the writing craft. Meaning, I don’t usually read fiction with a highlighter in hand to highlight great writing. I’m more often just along for the ride of the plot and the character development.

Not so with this book. I was highlighting amazing quotes like crazy. On that note, here are a handful of great quotes from the book:

“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”

“At the time, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Here’s some advice: Don’t ever think that.”

“I think most of humankind would agree, the hard part of high school is the people.”

“Certain pitiful souls around here see whiteness as their last asset that hasn’t been totaled or repossessed.”

“We both lay back down, and she looked at me in the eyes, and we were sad together for a while. I’ll never forget how that felt. Like not being hungry.”

“It hit me pretty hard, how there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning. People will keep on wanting what they want, and you’re on your own.”

“I wanted to go home. Which was nowhere, but it's a feeling you keep having, even after that's no longer a place anymore. Probably if they dropped a bomb and there wasn't any food left on the planet, you'd still keep feeling hungry too.”

Okay I’ll stop there. Just go buy the book. Trust me.

Psalm 37

It feels like evil prospers these days in ways that are increasingly hard to ignore. I am slowly walking through the Psalms in my daily Bible reading each morning, and Psalm 37, especially this first portion, gave me hope last week.

Of David.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

(Psalm 37:1-11)

A Long Interview About AI

I read or listen to Ezra Klein at the New York Times with some regularity, and I am often served by him and his work. He does a great job of examining important and complex topics without approaching them in ways that art unproductively partisan.

In this hour-long interview with an AI expert who served in the Biden administration, Klein has alerted me to the urgency of AI and its impacts on our lives in ways nothing has to this point.

I would encourage you to watch or listen sometime. It is super insightful.

I hope one of these things inspired you in some way. Have a great week.

-Chris