Source of inspiration

From time to time, I come across a website that just gets me fucking GOING.

Sometimes it is the ingenuity of a website, something I've never seen before but is just fun to use, like https://www.bigdeskenergy.com.

Other times it is the sleek design paired with what the content of the website represents, like https://marclou.com where he documents all of his side projects and it's filled with rich data.

And sometimes it's more the content itself that I find addicting. Someone has been able to write in a way that is so clear, so relatable. I want to read all the content available, like my friend Josh's blog https://prettygoodblog.com where he talks about literally anything at all, no theme, but he just feels passionate enough about to write a blog post for. Or one of the early engineers at Notion, https://chetcorcos.notion.site, who is equally all over the place, but just documents things he does in his life.

I do this sometimes on social media too. If I see someone whose content I feel particularly inspired by, I watch EVERYTHING. Like literally every video published by them.

Sometimes it's the masterful storytelling and cinematography and audio design of creators like Casey Neistat on YouTube, or it can be the raw documentation journey of building apps like Yoni on Instagram or Peiter Levels on X.

All this is to say that when I come across these types of people, I feel inspired.

And I really enjoy that feeling. I would love to do that for other people also.

But not only do I love consuming that type of content. I think it is really cool how it creates a document for them of what they've created and put out into the world. Something they can track for themselves, or something their kids can one day see.

I think that's dope.

I, on the other hand, struggle with taking the action to create like they do though (counterpoint; I am creating right now, shut up Jack).

I think part of why that's the case is because I want to do it in a way that's my own.

Do it in a way that is unique to me.

But also, maybe that's a bullshit excuse?

I think Picasso said something like this (or maybe it was Steve Jobs quoting someone, idk):

good artists copy, great artists steal

In my eyes, it's not about literally "stealing" someone else's work. But rather using it as inspiration.

Taking pieces of what I like from these creators above and combining and morphing it all into something I like and feel proud of creating.

Easier said than done, but might as well try :)