Category Archives: Creativity

Midnight Special

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Jeff

Midnight Special is a folk blues written from the standpoint of someone in prison. There are many versions. My favorite is Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s version (on YouTube, search for “Midnight Special CCR” if the link doesn’t work). As far as … Continue reading →

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“Do You Love Me

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Jeff

… now that I can dance.” There is some incredible creativity going on in the world. Boston Dynamics, a robot maker, posted a video of its robots dancing to “Do You Love Me”, a song from my youth at the … Continue reading →

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Advice on Getting Published

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Jeff

I’ve had fifty poems published over the years. Over the last year I’ve averaged one or more poems published out of every four submissions. This is typical for mid-level poets willing to share their acceptance rate. However, one writer said … Continue reading →

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Improvisation

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Jeff

I’ve been playing guitar off and on since the 70s. I’ve learned enough to play electric blues and blues/rock at the amateur intermediate level, but I’ve had no success improvising beyond mixing various rhythm guitar riffs. Recently I’ve realized I … Continue reading →

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Author Mission Statement

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Jeff

How (And Why) to Create an Author Mission Statement is a guest column on the Writer Unboxed blog. It’s a five step process to getting clear about the goal of your writing: What you write (e.g., poems, essays, novels)? Who … Continue reading →

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King of West Campus

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Jeff

Austin is full of ideas, music, creatives, and food trucks. There are various ethnicities (e.g. tacos, Venezuelan, Jamaican), hybrids (Korean-Mexican), and none of the above. JP’s Pancake Company is one of the latter. Or maybe one of the hybrids, his … Continue reading →

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John McPhee on Writing and the Relationship Between Artistic Originality and Self-Doubt

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Jeff

Impostor Syndrome is an occupational hazard of any creative endeavor. John McPhee’s discussion of the problem and its solution (taken from his book Draft No. 4) on Brain Pickings both nailed the problem and its solution. Read it and bookmark … Continue reading →

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One Kind Favor

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Jeff

This song was written and recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson with just him and his guitar in the late 1920s. It has been covered numerous times. The original arrangement doesn’t do full justice to the creepiness of the lyrics. Jerry … Continue reading →

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For What It’s Worth