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One Of Us: Episode 2

Episode 2 is now up, with what is arguably (audience wise, certainly) the most successful creative project I've been involved in to date: TrueNuff TV!

Moze, James, Cranston and I reminisce about the genesis of the project PRE-YOUTUBE (yes, there was a time) and what going viral is like (or was like back in 2006 before CNN ever learned what the term meant.)

There's a lot of talk about learning by doing, learning by doing the wrong thing, and learning by going along with other people when they assume you know what you're doing. The key lesson here is doing, which is something that when left to my own devices I forget.

These guys, plus Brando & Rob from TrueNuff Comic (Episode 1) have been my closest collaborators and and strongest supporters (and harshest critics) for too long now to fathom. I would be happy knowing that I would get to continue working on fun projects with these guys, even if the final product never got seen by anyone.

Hope you enjoy!

Also, One Of Us is now available via iTunes.

One Of Us: Episode 1

New project! I'm now venturing into the podcast realm with a new series called "One Of Us" - a discussion with an in-group of people so you can get inside! That makes sense, right?

The first episode is with my longest-running creative endeavour of TrueNuff Comic, which just turned 12 (YEARS OLD!). As this was my first one, I'm learning the challenges of the mix and directing the conversation (animated discussion among friends turns into a lot of talking over each other) but I'm happy with how it turned out! I'm hoping to get a feed on iTunes soon and the new website www.oneofuspod.com is still updating but should be online in a day or two one the name records on the domain server update.

Feedback is much appreciated! Listen now at One Of Us.

Correlation does not imply causation

I had to laugh - the day after I decide to try talking more about what I'm doing to keep me going, I read a short article about a long-standing premise that people who talk about what they're doing are less likely to actually to the thing.

Lifehacker: Shhh! Keeping Quiet May Help You Achieve Your Goals

Am I worried this will hinder me? No. It seems like they're saying that it's a personality type that does one and the other, not that the sharing of your intentions makes you less likely to complete them.

Also, I'm not entirely confident my brain functions like a normal person's anyway.

World building

Things have been comatose around the blog of late. I wanted this to be central to the creative projects I’m working on so that’s pretty indicative of how things have been recently- but I’m going to start the development of my next ‘Thing.”

I’ve been playing with the idea mentally for about a year now without any real development. I think everybody has “that idea” that they always think they’ll do someday and I’ve had a lot of those, some which I forget about and others that just get old and are no longer interesting. Everything I’ve read from people who actually get pen to paper to write say that the important is to actually get down to it, whether your idea is “ready” or not- so I want to start getting this one out while I still have the means to do so.

Here’s my project outline (reserving the right to change any of it later!)

• “Radio drama” style production
• Episodic format, (one story per episode but a longer story arc per season)
• Styled in a type of neo-noir detective story
• Hopefully I can make it funny too, but it may not be purely comic.

Anyway, I’m starting a development phase to get the ideas refined. I was linked to a great blog post on Pinterest via Marsha of WhyTheFace. I thought it looked like fun and a good way to get the ball rolling while I get set up in my new Vancouver home with a productive space, so I've signed up and am using it for building a kind of idea-board space. In the coming weeks I'm planning on trying to formalize some of the structure of the first stories, and I hope to go to a bulletin board and cards system to try breaking it. 


No, I've never done any of this before. No I'm not sure how to do it. But I'll let you know how it goes!


Until then: Pinterest: Defiant Robot

Toronto, it's not you, it's me.

Hey, Toronto.

I would’ve liked to have told you this face-to-face, but I guess it’s just easier to write you. I don’t think we should see each other anymore.

You’re great, really. It’s just that I don’t think it’s going to work out. When we first met, things were great: all was new, we went on some crazy adventures- it was exactly what I needed at the time. So much potential. Now though, I don’t think things have changed so much as the more we learn about each other the less of a chance you and I really have. We don’t click.

You’ve done a lot for me, I’ll admit. You got me into doing shows again, taught me the power of a community of super-talented and smart people. And you have the coolest friends! I’ve met the greatest people through you, and though I think they’ll probably side with you in the split, I’m hoping they’ll still keep in touch. Also, thanks for getting me that job.

The thing is I just don’t see us together long-term. Your style and mine are ultimately incompatible and though it sounds cold it does sadden me to rationalize it so. I wish I were more flexible, I do! But if I don’t follow my heart/guts/cojones, well then anytime we fight and let each other down I’m just telling myself “I told you so!”

It's... well it's Vancouver. We've always been close and yeah, I've been seeing Vancouver a little bit here and there and I guess I never really got over it. We just work so well together. I’m a west coast boy. I need greens and blues, I need my temperate climate and my buckets of rain. My family’s almost all there, and I never get to see my old friends anymore… I know, I’m making excuses. The basic underlying theme is that I’ve never felt any sense of permanence in this whole thing, and I think it’s time for me to move on. I know you’ll be fine without me. Maybe after some time has passed we can still hang out.

You’ll always have a special place in my heart.

Love, J.Rai

P.S. I hope it's okay if I stick around for a few more months while I find a new place.

Today's existential crisis

Usually when I start into a train of thoguht like this, I start to worry I'm going to blow a blood vessel in my brain because it just starts to feel like feedback. What follows is a chat session I had after my lunch break today. I figure a transcript is as good as re-writing it.

 
me: What a great lunch-walk.

Nat: Where did you go?

me: Just through Trinity Square, to the bank and back.

I overheard some middleschoolers discussing ESP and karma and then I had my own existential crisis and now I can't stop smiling.

Nat: Tell me about your existential crisis! I feel like it could make my day (Not the crisis aspect.)

me:  Well there were three middleschoolers, girls walking behind me chattering away.

As we passed a psychic reading place, one iof them asked "Do you believe in ESP?" and the other two responded "yeah" without hesitation.

Then before the end of the block one of them said "Karma!" about something I don't remember.

And I thought it was funny being at the age where you just believe those things because... I guess you want to, or you don't question things or whatever.

Then I thought about my own list of things like that I would create in order of descending believeability, putting ESP above Karma

And then I thought about where God would go on that list, the very top or the very bottom

Because if you put God in there then you must credit God with the creation of teh universe, which I don't

So if you eliminate that, then there's just the universe's natural existence

But why does the universe exist?

And why does anything exist at all?

Like, why is there... anything?

There could literally be nothing anywhere at all on any plane of existence.

In any dimension.

At all.

Why is there stuff?

But

There IS stuff.

There are quarks and atoms and waves of energy and as a result there are these three middle school girls, on a School day, at 1 pm, with a skate board and rollerblades in downtown Toronto having some little personal adventure

Or just a ditch day

And I get to wear a polyester sweater and use the internet.

And go outside and the wind blows in my face.

And that's pretty sweet.

Nat: Exeunt.