What I'm doing now

Updated June 2022

I've settled into my new home in Brooklyn, NY with my dog Holden, and I'm loving it more than any place I've lived before. I'm spending a lot of time just enjoying the city and making new friends.

I'm still working on my small, 7-year-old software company, Musing Studio, building web publishing tools for artists. Though right now, I'm stuck between feeling a duty to grow the business and wanting to become more of an artist than an entrepreneur.

Career

Upending my life has had me asking myself the existential questions I haven't asked in probably 10 years. Why am I doing what I'm doing? What do I want to spend my limited time on earth doing?

I'm finding it difficult to be very interested in business and making more money than I need in life. Which is a funny place to be as a "CEO" and "entrepreneur." So I'm trying to figure out how to square my desire to live with my need to make money to live.

I don't really have an answer I could put into words yet, besides that I want to contribute more to society than just commercial products and stuff on a screen.

Brooklyn

I've never felt so at home — it's clear I was made for this place. I can already see myself living here for a very long time.

It's slowly warming up here, and the days are long now. I'm appreciating the many gentle changes with the seasons I so rarely saw during my decade in North Florida.

Work

I've been working less. By many measures, I'm a slacker right now, and I feel a little guilty for it. But I'm trying to prioritize customers over my own ideas, and everything is still moving along fine. I recently sent out a survey to get an idea of what's most important to everyone; I'll focus on those things instead of a roadmap for the summer.

I'm trying not to take on any new major clients or demanding work. I'm taking my feelings about work as a sign that I need to step back a bit — maybe I'm a little burnt out or something — and I'll naturally pick things up again when I'm ready. In the meantime...

Art

I've been writing more; I'm working on poetry I'd like to get published, and some that I plan to read at open mics here. I've been going to a weekly writing group in Bushwick, and have met some great people there.

I've been shooting film again (after 10 years), and hanging out with photographers. The subjects are completely new to me — street art, people, architecture — and there's so much inspiration everywhere. As with the writing, I'm doing this more seriously, with the goal of getting the work published or showcasing it in some way.

I've been playing the piano again, learning new pieces. I'd like to learn more improvisation and jazz techniques, so I hope to start taking lessons soon, instead of always learning on my own.

Books

I finally unpacked all my books, and I'm reading fiction again. My creative writing has been lacking, so I think I need to do much more of this.

This is a /now page, inspired by Derek Sivers.

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