Embrace The Moment

Remember a few weeks ago in the before times? Back when you could shake hands with a stranger and find toilet paper any time you needed it?

Well, before the pandemic shut down life here in Chicago and the rest of the world, some of my colleagues were already telling me to move to “virtual shows”. In the beginning I was skeptical - I’m a live entertainer, a theater purist, a lover of the stage - I didn’t want to do shows over the Internet. I resisted the idea because the pandemic didn’t seem serious yet and because it just felt like a corporate money-making decision and not an artistic one. Besides, I didn’t have a clue what I’d perform in an online format anyway.

In mid-March, over my last weekend of "normal” shows, I mentioned the “virtual” format to my friend Jan. And she said, “Oh you have to do that! Be part of what’s going on.”

It was such a simple and thoughtful sentiment that it instantly changed my perspective. I realized that the virtual programs were a serious opportunity to entertain people and distract them from this crisis, if only for a brief moment. It was no longer a business decision - it was a human one. Taking my shows online meant I could connect with people in a time when connection is hard to come by.

Transforming my show into a virtual format has not been easy. First, I needed a good studio set-up, so my wife helped me create a backdrop at one end of my office. We added studio lighting, an HD camera, and professional audio to improve the look of the livestream, too. Then, I started working on material.

Everything in my stage show involves people onstage and in-person, so I had to throw it all out the window and start new. I combed through my library, consulted with some friends, and slowly built out the show. Before long I had nearly an hour of brand new material for “ The Virtual Mind Reading Show”.

What’s fun about this whole process is that I’ve been too busy working on everything that goes into the livestream to have any time for creative doubt or second thoughts. It reminds me of how I felt when I was living in Los Angeles right after I got out of college. I had no money and no connections, so I did everything that came my way - good, bad, and awful. But, I was happy because I was working hard and making the most of each opportunity.

That’s how I feel with the virtual shows, too. I can’t think “Oh, that’s not a good idea…” or “That will never work…” because there’s not enough time. I have shows on the schedule and people relying on me, so I just keep solving every problem that comes my way because there’s no other option.

I’m not bored or lonely during this period of self-isolation because I’m working on ways to use what I do to improve the lives of others.

Are you making the most of this time, too?

It’s easy to feel alone or bored or scared or worried right now. But, seeing how there isn’t really another choice, you should do all the things you’ve been meaning to do. Don’t question them, just dive in and get going.

Use this time wisely. Find new, meaningful ways to connect with others. Be part of what’s going on. Embrace the moment.

That’s what I’m doing and I feel so much better about things already.

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Other Thoughts:

• This situation makes me think of one of my favorite TED Talks.

• Starting next week I’m going to be moving to a twice-weekly posting schedule. Check back Monday for a new series on the blog!

• I’m using the rest of April to tackle some creative projects. I made a reading list, a watching list, and have some writing projects, too. I’d love to hear how you’re spending the time or some suggestions on how to spend mine. E-mail me back or let me know in the comments.

Push Through

“Any big plans for the weekend?” my trainer asked me last Friday.

“Just have some writing projects I’m working on!” I replied.

“Oh, that sounds like fun,” she said. “How do you work? Like, what’s your writing process?”

I told her exactly what I tell you now:

My writing process is that I tell myself “Tomorrow I’m going to write as much as possible!” and I carve out as much time as my schedule will allow so I can get creative and finish some projects.

Then when “tomorrow” comes I think about my writing all day, telling myself that I should probably sit down and get to work. I pace my studio, drink too much coffee, and do anything I can to avoid the task at hand.

Then, around bedtime, I finally sit down and write two or three sentences. Another successful day of writing in the books!

Since I started keeping a consistent blog 18 months ago a lot of people have asked me about my process. But the truth is…I don’t really have one. All I do is just think about writing as much as possible.

Most of the time I struggle to put my concepts into words, let alone a series of paragraphs worth reading. The key is to not give up. I know by now that if I just push through my creative roadblocks then a good essay is waiting to be discovered.

The same goes for my show.

I rarely rehearse it start to finish. Instead, I start to work on a new idea but barely get anywhere. So I’ll work on bits and pieces at random moments. I’ll talk through the script in the shower. I’ll pace through the blocking while I’m on the phone with a client. The new piece slowly comes together in sections, often over many months, but only if I don’t give up and push through.

A couple weeks ago I was trying to come up with a slogan for a special event. I wanted something catchy and to the point, so I started brainstorming with a friend. Everything we came up with was either incredibly stupid or had already been done before. Before I knew it, I was frustrated beyond belief. I decided to abandon the whole idea and hung up the phone in disgust.

I turned to leave the room and stopped dead in my tracks as the perfect slogan popped into my head. My good idea had only been minutes away and I had nearly lost it. I just needed to push through to the other side.

You can call it writer’s block or discomfort or rejection or the creative struggle. You can get frustrated when you run out of ideas and mad when you don’t have any to begin with. You can admit when you don’t know what to do next…

But whatever you do, don’t give up. Don’t give in to the struggle. Don’t give up on the work. You never know when your best idea might be one more sentence away. Push yourself to keep working. Push past the fear. Push aside your doubts and know that you’ve been creative before and you’ll be creative again.

Push through.

Falling Through The Cracks

My phone flew through the air in slow-motion before bouncing across the pavement like a rubber ball. The screen flickered then went black, a spider web of cracks branching out from the upper right corner.

I had flown over the handlebars, not far behind my iPhone. I wasn't injured. But I'd been going too fast to slow down in time and it had cost me my go-to distraction: my small, portable, pocket computer.

I couldn't call my best friend for a week. Or listen to my daily political podcasts. Emails transitioned to my MacBook, along with any social media projects. 

A phantom vibration lingered in my pocket for the first 48 hours - a hint of a missed text or a new voicemail.

But there was nothing there. No phone to charge, no glowing screen on my nightstand. Not a single little red number to aimlessly fill my time.

So I did other things.

I read a book. A big book. I stayed up until 2 am getting lost in someone else's thoughts. No music, no cat videos - just me and 400 pages of non-fiction bliss.

I went on a run. My first post-injury-and-8-weeks-of-physical-therapy jog in the park since January. I went out without my phone blaring hip-hop in my ears or telling me how far I'd gone. Just me and the crashing waves of Lake Michigan.

I talked with my wife. Like, really talked with her. Not about a new meme I'd seen or a trending topic on Twitter. We talked about things that mattered and a lot of silly things that don't. Just me, and my beautiful wife.

And I did some thinking. Okay, I did a lot of thinking.

For the first time in years, I felt truly connected to everything around me - without the very device that promises to make me more connected. 

With my shiny gadget I know everything about the people I care about, but I don't put in the effort to truly connect. A thumbs up here, a red heart there - meaningless signs of approval in the digital age. 

In a time when I can do anything I spend most of that time filling the void. The vast, beautiful world is right at my fingertips, blocked by a rectangular piece of plastic and glass.

So, here's where I stand:

I'm not getting rid of my phone. That's not going to happen. But I'm glad it broke last week.

I needed to remember how great it feels to get lost in this world of ours. I needed a reminder of how great the people I'm surrounded with can truly be. And I needed to fill my time with the things that really matter.

From now on, I refuse to let any of those things fall through the cracks.