Recently, I’ve been reading Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work!, a concise little book on the benefits of putting yourself (your work/creative process) out into the world. Inspired, I have decided to turn this website into a hub for the Joski creative process.

In the third chapter, Kleon suggests that we only focus on one day at a time: “Seasons change, weeks are completely human-made, but the day has a rhythm. The sun goes up; the sun goes down. I can handle that” (pg. 47). 

So, that’s what I’m going to do with this website. I’m going to put out a blog post, even if it’s only one sentence, each day of the week. 

No weekend breaks, no “I’m too tired to write a single word” bullshit. As of today, March 18, 2021, the posts begin.

What You’re Getting Into:

I’m hoping that the work I post inspires other people to get off their ass and do something. I’m not going to say that what gets posted here is some great work of art or that it’s some kind of enlightened work that will benefit the world at large (that would be pretty cool, though). My work here represents the ability for anyone to get up and put themselves out there, to start working on that project that they can never get motivated to do. 

With that said, I’m going to share something personally disheartening with you right now.

OOF!

This website has been “running” since the summer of 2020. I had plans, hopes, dreams, all of which fell apart because of life stuff. What a bullshit answer, right? When I first started this page in 2020, I had this written in the About section of Joski:

Hi, I’m Joski (Joshua). Previously a student at [redacted university], I became a full-time freelance writer in 2020. I spend most of my time reading books and playing video games with a strong cup of caffeine (it’s a pretty good gig). 

Oh lord, kill me now. I read that today, and my heart sank. My goal was to be a full-time writer making enough money to live from the comfort of my home while doing copy work or whatever I could to make ends meet. Instead, I went back to working my old job as a landscaper (easy cash) and drinking way too much. 

I went from being optimistic about the future to severe depression and zero meaning in my life in six months flat.

“LIFE”

How many times have we heard, “I wanted to do X, but life happened and…”? We’ve all heard the similar excuse of how life just so happens to stand in the way of, well, LIFE!

I think it’s safe to assume that most anyone reading this has had a tough fucking year during COVID. I also believe that if you’re reading this, you’ve probably made a similar, if not identical, excuse that life has gotten in the way someway somehow.

I’m not here to tell you that life is easy or that it’s going to get better (I sure hope it does, though). I am here to tell you that life is the longest thing you’re going to do (Don’t roll your eyes!). 

I’m serious; hear me out. 

There will always be obstacles in your way, no matter what. And, no matter what, you will eventually have to deal with those obstacles. Now think; how often do you do some mundane shit on the days where you have seemingly insurmountable odds stacked up against you? 

I’m willing to bet that most days, when the pressure of the world is crushing you, you waste time stressing about that pressure, and perhaps you even do nothing at all. Imagine if you just spent an hour of that time working on a project. That’s 7 hours a week, 28 hours a month, a whopping 336 hours spent on THAT project in a year. That time adds up!

There’s always, ALWAYS, an excuse to be said for why you’re not doing your dream thing. And that’s what this whole website is going to tackle. Not just for me, but for you, for us. 

My Project: Write a post on SOMETHING every day. Simple as that. Even if it’s one sentence, that’s okay. 

Your Project: Pick something you want to do and do it once a day. Did you spend an hour doing a passion hobby? That’s awesome! You only got around to ten minutes today doing the same thing? That’s still awesome.

Each day we do something we’re passionate about is a foothold found on the mountainside. 

-Joski

If you’re looking for a great book to get you started on your journey, check out Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work! HERE

If you’re into an oddball playing odd videogames, check out my Twitch HERE