What's on your "mountain list"?
Let’s chat about the Big Creative Dream Goals our childhood selves wanted to achieve
…And saying yes to what gets you closer to them.
(Also accidentally giving away the name of my selkie graphic novel project. Whoops.)
In this Coffee Chat video (with my new camera!!) I sit down to ask lots of questions (and offer very few answers) about finding motivation and the challenge of choosing what to focus on next.
My theory at the moment is to return to the big, sometimes scary creative projects and goals that maybe you scrawled in a notebook as a kid, and make you feel alive… and maybe a little queasy. These are the projects that give you your sense of direction and purpose—your “mountain” (a concept borrowed from Neil Gaiman, of course!).
Maybe we can find more joy and fulfillment in our creative work by saying yes to more of what gets us closer to our respective mountains.
In this video I sit down (without any coffee because I forgot it) to make my “mountain list” of creative projects and goals that feel meaningful to me—big and small alike.
I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m determined to figure it out somehow.
Want to come along? You can put me on in the background and we can think about it together.
TL;DW (too long, didn’t watch)? I get it. It’s regular podcast Coffee Chat length, so… it’s long. Here’s the short version:
Here’s my “mountain list”:
(along with timestamps in case you want to see more context from the video for a particular project):
Be in another play (14:58)
Be involved in designing and/or making puppets in a puppet production of some kind (17:26)
Design puppets that I can comfortably use (because I would love to be a puppeteer, but I’m pretty sure I couldn’t physically handle it) (19:06)
Publish a book (I’m working on it! Things Not Said1, and How it Feels To Me, for starters!) (20:08)
Finish Devil in the Deep Blue Sea (graphic novel/limited series) (21:31)
Make a zine (24:54)
Make a mobile (28:44)
Make an ASMR video (30:12)
Design album art for music that means something to me (32:19)
Paint a mural (not necessarily professionally, just in my house) (34:07)
I also brainstorm some ideas for Substack,
where I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed.
It’s not Substack(or anyone on it)’s fault, but I often feel too much imposter syndrome/comparison when I see people posting so much here, especially with all the “how-tos” and “steps to.”
I want to keep showing up in ways that work for me (including visually, like with this video), and I also don’t feel like I have answers. Just lots of questions. Is that even allowed anymore? I think it should be.
I’ve been wondering if there are ways I can show up here that don’t spark those same feelings in the people reading my posts?
(Or is it more about training myself not to have that headspace when I sit down to create new posts?)
I’m not sure yet, but I explore some ideas at the end of the video, if you’d like to listen in (thoughts and discussion encouraged!).
I’d love to know:
What’s on your “mountain list”? No idea is too big, too small, too crazy, too scary, or too simple! Let’s dream a bit and encourage each other here!
If you’re a paid subscriber and you’re not sure where to find Things Not Said, please message me! I’ll make sure you’re all set up. :)
Whats on my ”mountain list” are; to change my life to the better. With more control over panic attacks etc.
My mountain list has changed since I was a kid. I want to be known locally as a movie lover and be invited to test screenings and even get invited to Hollywood premieres and themed events.