From the Inspirational Thought Unit
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about:
I'm always wondering how best to expose myself to interesting and different experiences (which is hard for a guy who sits in a studio for 40+ hours a week) and how best to fill the creative bank account that each of us carries with us.
Whether you want to tell stories, draw pictures, write music, create new technology, the things we make are molded and shaped by our experiences. It seems like the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to connect things that other people haven't thought to connect.
Or to put it differently: the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to help people that other people haven't thought to help.
So here's an idea to help expand your experience landscape:
You should try and have a good friend* who was born in each decade over a span of 8 or 9 decades. Not sure how to word that better.
So like, have a friend who’s under 10, a friend in their teens, a friend in their 20’s, 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s and 80’s.
Granted I know that gets a little weird for the under 20 crowd, but something like a parent approved mentorship, or visits with a young relative would count.
The idea is that you are exposed to a lot more different thinking and experience than if you just hang out with people your age. The effect might be a richer, broader understanding of humanity.
This idea was inspired by my wife Alison who has a few pen pals who are under 10 years old, a couple of girls she mentors who are in their early 20's, good friends in their 30's and 40's, a friend who she goes to lunch with when she's in town who is in her late 50's, a neighbor in her 80's who she trades books with, and an out of state friend in her 90's who she brings flowers to every time she's in town.
Because of this Alison just always has a great perspective on things when I talk to her about stuff.
I think there might be something to this. I'm going to try to work on it this year.
-Jake