Inneresting 53
issue 53
May 28, 2021
Looking elsewhere to get unstuck
Austin Kleon points to a clip of Paul Simon sharing the inspirations that helped him write Bridge Over Troubled Water, a process where he got stuck a number of times.
In the clip, Simon defines feeling stuck as:
"Everywhere I went lead where I didn’t want to be, so I was stuck."
If you’re feeling like your work isn’t taking you where you want to go, here are some tips for finding a new direction.
Don’t just watch - Appreciate
Kicking back with a good movie can be fun, but to find inspiration, think about how you’re going to watch.
The YouTube series Now You See It offers some primer videos, such as the utility of dinner scenes, and The Art of Overanalyzing Movies.
How did we end up here? Vulture has a great list of internet videos that created the aesthetic language of the modern internet.
And if you don’t know what you’re looking for…
When you want something new to watch, read, or listen to you can break out of the usual algorithms:
Search through Netflix’s array of oddly-specific categories with this list of sub-genre links.
Check out book recommendations from various interesting people at Books Read By.
Or if you’d prefer an “If you like this, you’ll like…” style of recommendation, try this book recommendation generator.
Fresh music can help jump-start the creative process, like getting suggestions from the Pitchfork review explorer.
More Recommended Reading Material
John and Craig have multiple script drafts posted in the Library at JohnAugust.com, including the first several episodes of Chernobyl and drafts of Go and Big Fish.
You can also find plenty of scripts to review, including many award nominees and winners from the past several years, in the Weekend Read app for iOS.
Other Cool Things
A few unconventional suggestions from Derek Sivers on how to be useful to others.
Christine Hoxmeier shares the books she read, and didn’t read while grieving the death of her boss.
Connect the Stars isn’t just an enjoyable revamp of the Kevin Bacon game, but a fun way to visualize the connections between film casts.
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
If you know someone else who might want to read this, please forward it to them. Thanks!
Come across something you think other readers will find inneresting? Reach out to Chris on Twitter @ccsont or email us at ask@johnaugust.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
No events planned.
Stay home & stay safe.
ABOUT THIS EMAIL
Inneresting is edited by Chris Csont, with contributions from the entire Quote-Unquote team. Subscribe here.
Links to Amazon may have referral codes from which we might generate tens of dollars.