Brain Punch

Ideas that hurt, but in a good way

Use your tools to make things, don't make things about your tools. Technology and the end result are in a dance, one can never lead the other too long.

MANIFESTO

Writers have kept notebooks since time immemorial. The auctorial equivalent to the artist’s sketchbook is the “commonplace book,” which can contain everything from newspaper clippings to grocery lists to attempts to capture those inspirational bolts out of the blue.

I’m sure that somewhere out there, there is a writer who is far more disciplined... See more

Cory Doctorow • The Memex Method

Kurt Vonnegut, talking about when he tells his wife he’s going out to buy an envelope:

“Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of

People who live in large cities have larger egos because at night they can't see the stars

Dylano | Essayful x.com

what if public libraries were open late every night and we could engage in public life there instead of having to choose between drinking at the bar and domestic isolation

Erin Glass twitter.com

Some of my favorite artists make “to-draw” lists. David Shrigley will make a huge list of fifty things to draw a week in advance. Having the list means he doesn’t have to waste studio time worrying about what to make. “The simple thing I’ve learned over the years is just to have a starting point and once you have a starting point the work seems to... See more

Austin Kleon • Keep Going: a book by Austin Kleon

Because Hemingway left his work at an interesting moment, it became easier to return to his typewriter the next day. Think of it like a TV show cliffhanger. If you are interested in the story, you’re more likely to return to the show next season. Hemingway essentially incorporated self-made cliffhangers into his productivity schedule to maintain... See more

Kevin Dickinson • Tap Into the “Hemingway Effect” to Finish What You Start

“ I think your default is my courage.” Brené Brown - The gifts of imperfection