Another Thanksgiving week in the books. I hope y’all had a great holiday with your friends and family.

I was able to take from Sunday to the following Saturday off and drive the family from Atlanta down to South Florida, first stopping in Orlando.

But yeah. Drive. In a Nissan Rogue with a 9 year old and a 6 year old… I do not suggest it if you can avoid it. We couldn’t avoid it as we had just taken a trip to Dallas for my mom’s 70th in October. So “flying money” was gone and all we had was four wheels and 8 and a half hours.

I know, I know, “8 and a half hours?! That’s not that much!” You’d be right. But any amount of time in a car over anything like 4 or 5 hours could easily just be 17 hours.

But anyway. Got to hang with my wife’s father and his fiancé for Thanksgiving down in South Florida. But not before stopping for three days in Orlando to go to Islands of Adventure and letting the kids do roller coasters and Harry Potter Land.

The looks on their faces when the coasters would shoot off to 60+mph in like 3 seconds was the absolute best. Them seeing dragons, oversized spiders, and dementors. Drinking butter beer. It was so awesome.

Felt real good to get away. Turn it all off, leave the phone far far away, don’t bring a laptop, just completely unplug and hang with what really matters. If you can do that at any point before the year ends, maybe around Christmas, I’d highly recommend it.

I came back today (Monday) feeling super refreshed with new motivation and excitement to dig in and get back to work. Which I’ll hit in today’s think about it.

Why wait. Lets get into it.

Think about it:

I kinda buried the lead a bit last Timmy Tuesday. Last Sunday (the 19th) was my birthday.

The last few birthdays messed with me a bit as I would take stock in where I’m at vs where I thought I’d be at this age.

• In life.

• In finances.

• In career.

• In whatever.

But here’s the funny thing about it. I feel like the “where I should be” (ie: drive, motivations for doing what I do) was something I established when I was much younger. Before I had the honor and responsibility of being a husband and a father. Before feeling the real weight of what it was to have the student loans, a mortgage, and cost of living barreling down on me each month. So for a good bit of my career I’d make this immature decisions with my career because I thought I could do better, or have better, or be some place else more exciting and what always ended up happening is that I’d be back at square 1 every few years.

Because my motivations and drive were pushing me someplace an immature me pointed me towards years ago. And I left it unchecked.

Honestly, I’d bet it was the quick and early success I felt when Film Riot kicked off right out of college and at the beginning of my career. I was nobody from nowhere and didn’t have any real work to show for myself. Then out of the blue I was responsible for the broadcast package for a YouTube series that was blowing up super fast. I found myself going to live events that Rev3 was putting on and people knowing who I was. I was getting asked to do good work for good pay because “you’re the guy who did that one thing” and they wanted me to do that one thing for them.

It’s crazy how fast a few people knowing you out and about in certain rooms can pollute your perspective. It kept me thinking I was supposed to be doing more. It was robbing me of feeling content everywhere I was. And in the back of my mind I was creating this subconscious expectation of what I deserve which was informing my motivations and drives to get there.

Because “people know me”.

So. A challenge. As we wrap up this year and look ahead into the new year, what are some expectations you’ve set for yourself years ago, maybe decades ago, that you haven’t reassessed? I’m not talking small surface level stuff like

• Things you’re working for.

• Stuff you want.

• Art you you want to create.

It’s more putting in check and reassessing the internal motivation for why you’re doing what you do. Why you’re on the path your on in your life, career, finances, etc.

Really look at it and ask yourself when that became your driving force.

• Who were you then?

• Who are you now?

• Do those motivations and drive still line up with who you are and where you want to go?

And if they don’t, reassess and come up with new motivations and reasons to be creative and successful.

You’ll be better off for it, and you’ll feel healthier every day when you’re using the right fuel to get where you want to go.

Creatives to follow:

@myfipodcast / @leetbaker : This is Lee Baker. He’s a killer musician and all around champion of creative people and creative teams. He’s got a rad podcast called MyFi where he talks to creative people about creative things. You’ll learn a lot from it. He also does creative coaching if that’s something you’re into. He’s got a free first call so you can see what it’s all about. Go hit him up. Let him know I sent you.

@_Pwnisher_ : If you’re into 3D at all you probably know of or have heard of Clinton Jones. He’s got some of the best tutorials around in the world of 3D animation and Unreal Engine. Not to mention, his tutorials are always an absolute vibe. The voice, the music bed, dude knows what he’s doing. Give him a follow and go learn something!

Problem Solved:

I’m going way simple this week with a problem solved. And it might not work for everybody, but I find that it works for me at least 75% of the time I use it.

Have you ever been hanging out with friends or family and someone asks a question that you know that you know that you know, but for whatever reason you all of the sudden can’t find the answer? Happens to me all the time. Probably too much.

Probably because I don’t read as much as I should. I’m working on it.

What’s the thing most people say when they find themselves in this position knowing they know the answer to a questions?

“Lets stop talking about it. It’ll come to me when I’m not thinking about it.”

And for most, that’s all you need to do for the information you already know to come sweeping into your mind till you find yourself shouting out,

“BAXTER! Ron Burgundy’s dog’s name was BAXTER!”

I use this same technique when when I find myself in a hole on a project. Whether in pre-pro trying to find the thing I want to build, or I can’t seem to figure out how to build a certain effect or asset. I at times find myself sitting and just clicking buttons for hours at a time getting absolutely nowhere.

However, when I get up and walk away trying to clear my mind of the problem is usually when a potential solution comes to me.

We put our faces inches away from the problem that our perspective becomes too focused and unable to look past what we’re doing. What we really need is to step away from the problem. Leave it there and let your mind wander for a bit on other things. Much like the question that you know you know the answer to but for whatever reason you can’t bring to your mouth, the possible solution or path to one might sneak it’s way into your mind.

Close:

How was everybody’s week last week? I had mentioned in the last Timmy Tuesday how important it is to let yourself set aside time in order to grow and refill your creative bucket. I would love to hear about anything y’all are doing to learn and grow and refill yourselves creatively.

Email me: [email protected]. Let me know what you’re doing, what you’re learning, what’s inspiring you and I’ll share it with the community.

I want to:

• Celebrate your wins.

• Be inspired by what is inspiring you.

• Help you with any issue you might have, if I can or if the community can.

• What’d you think of this week’s newsletter?

Go make something! I’ll see y’all next week!