During the first half of the 20th century, two distinctly American art forms began their rise to prominence, with both ultimately appreciated and practiced around the world.
I tend to spend time in the bunkhouse of our family cottage often in summer- it's made of wood, but it isn't a shed, so I don't know if it would count or not.
My most creative sessions are in solitude. I've tried a coffee house (thanks to the encouragement of @Jamal Robinson ), which is nice for a change of scenery (as @Faith Current suggests), but I'm more productive when I'm in a space alone. Preferably when no one else is in the building/house, or they are all sleeping. Now that the kids are out of the nest, I've commandeered one of their bedrooms in the daylight basement as my "woodshed" office. For me, midnight to 3am is about the right time to hit peak creativity!
I think my creative window has shifted over the years. I used to do some of my best thinking late into the night, but now I think it's first thing. It's weird to pay attention to that, too - like I'm the subject of my own analysis!
I also strongly prefer to be alone, but every now and then a change of scenery is just the thing.
My woodshed sometimes has wood, sometimes not. Riding my mountain bike on a trail in woods, meadows, and desert. Though new tech bikes with full suspension, multiple gears, even electric assist, enable one to experience beyond one’s natural limits; I use to ride a rigid, fixed gear bike on the trails. My motto was: one with the land vertically and horizontally. No suspension, no freewheel to coast.
That bike became my utility bike with racks, basket, and fenders. Though different, bike riding local streets for fun and purpose can give the feeling of improvising in the moment of weather and trees.
My current MTB for the last 10 years has been a fat tire (surly ice cream truck) with 2x10 drivetrain and rigid fork; though air pressure in the fat tires provides variable suspension, traction, and steering response.
My husband convinced me to go on a trail ride on Crater Rim one year for our anniversary. I saw my death. It wasn't pretty. I have not gone on a ride with him since. The saving grace was the hot tub at our B&B (this was well before the times of Airbnb). We celebrate our 30th this year, so obviously, I forgave him. However, your motto brought it all back. I'm gonna go sit in the corner and rock for a bit. BRB.
I love it. Practicing jiu jitsu is right on the edge here for me, because it requires another person. Mountain biking, by contrast, can be very solitary. Flow state!
well, I live alone in the middle of the Maine woods 45 minutes from anything, so physically alone isn't a problem. (although there are times when I wish I could just pop down to the coffee shop for a change of scenery).
our world is persistent with its invitation to distraction though. I mean, i'm commenting here instead of writing....
what I try for is... I wake up naturally around sunrise, get up and write. for the first couple of hours, I'm fresh and can ignore distractions. then I notice around noon, my writing brain gets tired and then I allow for things like checking substack (and answering comments), and gradually the balance shifts from total focus to being a bit more in the world.
I can't concentrate at all in the afternoons, so that's my "in the world" time, then I repeat the same pattern as the morning in reverse, when the sun goes down.
Very similar to my approach! I reckon I have a limited amount of focus, so I want to use it where it really matters, and that usually means doing important stuff before anyone can distract me.
I think that's really key. and I'm strict about it, btw. I don't schedule anything before noon, and I have a clause in my contract with my clients that I will not respond to anything except between the hours of noon and five, and I'm very clear with them that that's to protect my peak creative and thinking time, and they're hiring me for my brain, so it's in their best interests to give me space to use it more effectively
I isolate myself at the moment to a point. To be honest though, I don't know if that's MY doing or my families. I'm anything but an alone person. I LOVE being around people. When looking around my small studio, I find myself remembering how strong those who went through slavery were. Their strength is one out of the many things that inspires me to get up each morning.
In tech, certifications rule not belts. Microsoft created a black belt certification to compete with Cisco. I was recruited to develop it and then went through the first rotation - rotation 0. 3 weeks in a woodshed, with 20 other suckers. 10 hour days and at the end you had to pass a 12 hour written + lab test. I failed; couldn’t complete the last lab. Man my eyes hurt so bad at the end.
I tend to spend time in the bunkhouse of our family cottage often in summer- it's made of wood, but it isn't a shed, so I don't know if it would count or not.
Hey neat! Do you get a lot of creating done in there?
Also: how'd I do on the jazz portion? I know you're knowledgeable.
Some things get done. And the jazz/blues stuff is all true.
Thanks! I love learning about this history. The music I've created certainly owes a huge debt to the blues.
My most creative sessions are in solitude. I've tried a coffee house (thanks to the encouragement of @Jamal Robinson ), which is nice for a change of scenery (as @Faith Current suggests), but I'm more productive when I'm in a space alone. Preferably when no one else is in the building/house, or they are all sleeping. Now that the kids are out of the nest, I've commandeered one of their bedrooms in the daylight basement as my "woodshed" office. For me, midnight to 3am is about the right time to hit peak creativity!
I think my creative window has shifted over the years. I used to do some of my best thinking late into the night, but now I think it's first thing. It's weird to pay attention to that, too - like I'm the subject of my own analysis!
I also strongly prefer to be alone, but every now and then a change of scenery is just the thing.
I love that you were/are willing to try knew things!
My woodshed sometimes has wood, sometimes not. Riding my mountain bike on a trail in woods, meadows, and desert. Though new tech bikes with full suspension, multiple gears, even electric assist, enable one to experience beyond one’s natural limits; I use to ride a rigid, fixed gear bike on the trails. My motto was: one with the land vertically and horizontally. No suspension, no freewheel to coast.
That bike became my utility bike with racks, basket, and fenders. Though different, bike riding local streets for fun and purpose can give the feeling of improvising in the moment of weather and trees.
My current MTB for the last 10 years has been a fat tire (surly ice cream truck) with 2x10 drivetrain and rigid fork; though air pressure in the fat tires provides variable suspension, traction, and steering response.
My husband convinced me to go on a trail ride on Crater Rim one year for our anniversary. I saw my death. It wasn't pretty. I have not gone on a ride with him since. The saving grace was the hot tub at our B&B (this was well before the times of Airbnb). We celebrate our 30th this year, so obviously, I forgave him. However, your motto brought it all back. I'm gonna go sit in the corner and rock for a bit. BRB.
My butt hurt reading the hardcore MTB bit
Never, ever feel bad to talk about how your butt hurts here.
I love it. Practicing jiu jitsu is right on the edge here for me, because it requires another person. Mountain biking, by contrast, can be very solitary. Flow state!
Three years and counting in the woodshed, working on this series. I'm not sure I ever want to come out, actually.
How do you limit your distractions? Do you like to physically be somewhere alone for a bit each day?
well, I live alone in the middle of the Maine woods 45 minutes from anything, so physically alone isn't a problem. (although there are times when I wish I could just pop down to the coffee shop for a change of scenery).
our world is persistent with its invitation to distraction though. I mean, i'm commenting here instead of writing....
what I try for is... I wake up naturally around sunrise, get up and write. for the first couple of hours, I'm fresh and can ignore distractions. then I notice around noon, my writing brain gets tired and then I allow for things like checking substack (and answering comments), and gradually the balance shifts from total focus to being a bit more in the world.
I can't concentrate at all in the afternoons, so that's my "in the world" time, then I repeat the same pattern as the morning in reverse, when the sun goes down.
Very similar to my approach! I reckon I have a limited amount of focus, so I want to use it where it really matters, and that usually means doing important stuff before anyone can distract me.
I think that's really key. and I'm strict about it, btw. I don't schedule anything before noon, and I have a clause in my contract with my clients that I will not respond to anything except between the hours of noon and five, and I'm very clear with them that that's to protect my peak creative and thinking time, and they're hiring me for my brain, so it's in their best interests to give me space to use it more effectively
Nice post! I’m about to enter the woodshed now…
For writing, or literally? Or something else?
Either way, happy solitude!
I isolate myself at the moment to a point. To be honest though, I don't know if that's MY doing or my families. I'm anything but an alone person. I LOVE being around people. When looking around my small studio, I find myself remembering how strong those who went through slavery were. Their strength is one out of the many things that inspires me to get up each morning.
I learned something new today!
This entire time, I thought "woodshedding" was something Groot did every spring and autumn.
In fairness, Groot sometimes has to regrow himself. That could require lots of solitude and quiet focus, so perhaps this theory isn't all that crazy.
In tech, certifications rule not belts. Microsoft created a black belt certification to compete with Cisco. I was recruited to develop it and then went through the first rotation - rotation 0. 3 weeks in a woodshed, with 20 other suckers. 10 hour days and at the end you had to pass a 12 hour written + lab test. I failed; couldn’t complete the last lab. Man my eyes hurt so bad at the end.
So many of my business sprints have been like this! Does it count if other people are around?
Who's counting? Counted for me. We did it in an old datacenter bldg in Seattle, Macklemore was there too
I think it should count if a group is focused and isolated, like when a band goes off to record an album and doesn't leave until it's done.
Speaking of Macklemore - and I know you weren’t, I used to use him as play-in music for my sessions. Got higher scores
Creativity is weird.