Here's To Doing Something New - June 2025

How this is gonna work:

Take a deep breath in.

Breath out.

Think about something that happened today. It may have been very good. It may have been very bad. It could have been something that has never happened before. It could be the most mundane and ordinary thing ever. That is all ok. Do you have that thought yet? Good. Just set it down to the side and we will go back to that. 

Now, I am not a fan of the idea of sitting here and telling you all how you should be. Why would I? Most likely we are all in the same boat. We have day jobs, we have dirty laundry that needs to be washed, the pan we used for dinner is still in the sink, and you are debating between getting a bunch of tasks done or watching an episode of a show before bed. 

We scroll on Instagram probably more often than we should throughout the day, seeing post after post highlighting other people’s lives, but then you finally get around to working on something that is just for you. That story. That painting. That quilt. That thing you are coding for fun. That one thing that is done in the quietness of your own space, in your own time, while your hair is damp from the shower that washed off the day. 

It is a sacred time, whether we realize it or not - but all too often we let the noise in. The comparison. The fallacy that we aren’t good enough so we might as well stop now. 

Rather than being “just a newsletter,” I want this to be a time of reflection. A time of quietness. A time of encouragement. 

After my opening monologue, some things I may share include reflection, shower-thoughts, and hard lessons learned while working on my own passion project behind closed doors. There may be some helpful tips I feel compelled to share, updates regarding my book, and the journey starting Creative Philomath with my best friend - but then it will be your turn. At the end will be one or two prompts I invite you to think about as you go into your own quiet time.

The World of Tian

That is the name of the google folder where I keep all the documents pertaining to my book. I don’t have a title yet, as I truly believe I will find the right one as I get closer to finishing my first draft. 

The story takes place on a continent dominated by one central power: The Kingdom of Tian. 

There are various other societies and ethnicities throughout the continent that all submit to the overarching influence of this kingdom. Our main character is Toren, the young King of Tian, but when we first meet him, he is living in a dilapidated cabin, on the fringes of the kingdom he actually no longer rules. You see, the kingdom was once ruled by kings who displayed stunning strength and power, but it has now become a place ruled by systems and traditions that no one has thought to change in hundreds of years. Toren simply inherited the throne, did every tradition he was expected to, and was a pretty face to give people something shiny to look at while the nation runs as it always has - until a new figure comes, and in a stunning move, uses tradition to snatch the throne from beneath Toren.

Now outcasted, penniless, and forced to the fringes of society, Toren hopes for nothing more than to live a simple, quiet life with his young family - until the new, vengeful king decides nowhere should be out of his reach. Exposed to the horrors the new king has unleashed, and the scars left by the actions of his own government, Toren must make a choice on what type of man he will be - and of he fights, who he will be fighting for.

So where am I with this?

Well, I first began dedicating time to creative writing while I was working as a TV news reporter in Grand Rapids, telling stories of what was happening throughout West Michigan. Spending so much time writing about the real world, I guess I was drawn to the idea of creating my own to write about. 

Some major milestones so far:

• Outlining the main plot of the story while still leaving room for new discoveries while writing - We tend to think of writing as being a super free-flowing thing, but there is still story structure that is needed to make sure readers can follow along, and to deliver certain punches in the story line at the effective times. That being said, I treat my outline more as a guide, rather than a gospel, and that is because some of the most powerful moments I have written were not pre-planned, but rather they came out spontaneously. Then why write an outline? Well, even though I have scenes that were not necessarily planned, my outline helped me make sure what I wrote stays consistent with the overarching plot and has the ability to add to the story. 

• Character Design - Within all my notes, you will find space dedicated to each main character. Writing characters is more than just writing out who they are and what their role is. It is thinking about their core beliefs. What their childhood was like. Their socioeconomic background, heritage, rank, how they view people different from them. You have to treat them like real people, who have their own desires, dreams, and faults. Even though you may not use all of that information explicitly in your story, it helps in writing their dialogue, their thoughts, and their quirks - like how Toren can read his stoic best friend's thoughts by what he is doing with his mustache.

• Toren’s world is starting to change - Well, as you can tell from the above description, it already has quite a bit, but at the beginning of the story, he has spent the past year hiding, believing that if he is not in imminent danger, there is no need to do anything. So far in what is written, we see opportunities for him to fight back, to defend those around him and take a stand. We have been learning about what has lead him to this point and are meeting all the main characters, but now the somewhat stable mini-world Toren built for himself, is starting to implode. I am currently sitting in a Leo’s Coney Island writing on my lunch break but am anticipating writing the heaviest scene yet this evening. How severe of a loss will it take for Toren to realize hiding is no longer an option? I’m going to find out!

Creative Philomath: Iron Sharpens Iron

It has been about two months since I teamed up with my friend Jacob to launch Creative Philomath as a brand. Since May, nearly every other conversation we have with each other has been about CPM, ideas for products, contents, and growing it as a new community for creative minded people.

Being the Chief Communications Officer, I have been focusing on making us consistent across social media platforms and continuously planning out content to raise awareness of CPM, grow our audience, and ways to promote our upcoming projects and releases.

During May and June:

• Creative Philomath had reached 279 accounts between May 1st and May 17th. Between May 18th and May 31st, that number became 731 accounts. During the month of June, 864 accounts had been reached, for a total of 1,364 accounts after content began to consistently be produced starting the week of May 18th - this is in comparison to 280 reached accounts for CPM between April 7th and May 17th. 

• Some of our most successful content has been reels that discuss the real experiences of writers and artists in their daily lives in both humorous and serious ways - ultimately, encouragement is the greatest goal of these reels.

• Going into July, I am working with Jacob to develop content that directs people to our newsletters and to spur interest in Creative Philomath, with the goal for increased visits to our site. 

Creating this new brand and developing content to help bring its vision to life has been a challenge to the least, but it is one I couldn’t imagine myself not undertaking. Flexibility, determination, consistency, and showing up when it seems no one is looking are all words I could use to describe the process so far but doing it alongside a friend, who I consider a brother, lightens the load when we both get to carry it.

Now for some parting thoughts:

Take that one event from your day I asked you to think about and produce something new around it. It could be a short-written piece, just a half a page long. It could be an image. It could be an app concept, just make something! 

Were you washing dishes? Then how did you feel while doing them? Were you in a hurry to achieve all your tasks or did it feel therapeutic? Why did it feel that way?

There is a story in everything. Sometimes it is short and to the point, and sometimes we could write an entire book. So if you feel sluggish at the end of your day, and feel like you just don’t have the time or energy to create, then use this as something to help you get started, or work on throughout the week. 

If you made it this far, thank you so so much. Until we meet again next month, stay safe, healthy, and eat something good.

JD - Creative Philomath