Week V March 2023 - SamJ Studios

It’s obvious to retrospectively speak on how one’s creativity ebbs and flows but in the moment, it’s very easy to forget and become unmotivated. This week I have been caught up with other personal things that have kept me from physically working on art. In the meantime I’m left just to dwell over my creative practice within the realm of my mind.

Due to the misery that has been the Web3 space in the last eight months, I spend more time thinking about the right thing to do than actually creating. In moments like today, I find it extremely difficult to actually go and accomplish any creative endeavor, even at a minuscule scale. I look back to my early Web3 days with admiration. I reflect upon my skills to be able to create anything big or small. I will take an idea that has the capacity to cost six months developing and boil it down to a craft that I can accomplish within a day. This was extremely useful when I started here as there was no precedent for where we were going and the ability  to express my creativity through so many different means in a more frequent manner was more valuable than making sure each idea came with grandiose execution. I’m trying to find myself back in that position today as I sit here with a headache, barely able to write this newsletter.

I’m very grateful for the opportunities and the growth provided to me through the Web3 space, but it has led me so far from where I started that I often forget that I have the room to scale down in order to make ideas more accessible to myself. I’ve always had ideas that were larger than life, and this was no different when I started. Yet in those early days, there was no access. There was not even a hair of a possibility to execute upon these daydreams. I was adapting my creativity to the circumstances I was experiencing as a fresh artist. It is now difficult for me to do that as I feel I have breached past that moment, but it is crucial to remind myself of the manic creativity that comes when you can start and finish a project in a day. This week I accomplished the proccess of desiging and fabricating a new pair of sunglasses!

This is something that I appreciate from digital fashion as I can ideate on a design endlessly, and still finish a product in a matter of hours. It requires no manual labor, or physical production. You would be surprised how often I have to run to the fabric supply store just to try something that doesn’t end up working. Reminding myself that I have access to these natively digital workflows is one tool I use to break out of this creative block. Luckily for me, I’ve noticed that these waves of creativity operate within a frequency of 3 to 6 months. By this summer I anticipate I will be excited to explore creative ideas once again and until then I will lean on the tools that I have developed to stay productive and keep in touch with those who help me stay focused and motivated, I am grateful for you all. I am on the edge of my seat to see many of my favorite people in NYC again in April.

One tool that I can rely on every day is good music and that’s why I like to include my playlist each week and share new music I have found. I don’t necessarily think that I get inspired by music, but it helps me stay focused and I deeply appreciate the craft. Earlier this week I found this jam session which brought a unique perspective to my commute a few days ago, while today I discovered this album on YouTube and it helped me get out of bed.

Slay the house down boots besties,

SamJ