Each one of these essays was excruciatingly hard work. Make no mistake, there is nothing easy about writing. It requires a tremendous amount of time and, often, blind belief in the output. The larger essays can take upwards of 50-100 hours to complete — write, edit, design, rewrite, whiskey, redesign, self-doubt, layout, cry, publish, promote, correct embarrassing invariable spelling mistakes.But the act of writing each of these essays has led to a deeper insight into the subject at hand. Obvious, I know. But this is something many creatives simply choose not to engage. And it’s a shame. Reflection through writing can illuminate the next step in a creative process which all too often feels like flailing aimlessly in the dark.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say an unarticulated experience or creative process is one left unresolved. By writing about your experience you close the loop, so to speak. When you publish, both the output of the experience (book, software, photographs, etc) and now the ability to replicate that experience is in the hands of your audience. That’s a powerful thing. And I can say with absolute clarity, there is as much satisfaction in seeing your experience manifest in others as there is in the creative output alone.
So Long 2010, and Thanks for All the Pageviews — Satellite — Craig Mod
