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N is for Napkin - Excerpt from The Artist's Suitcase · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: All this week I've been sharing excerpts from a book that I published a few years ago.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's called The Artist Suitcase 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is a very short, fun, and punchy read for all kinds of artists and creatives, including and especially writers.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you're interested, you can grab a copy of the book by going to KentSanders.net slash suitcase.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, here is today's excerpt from the chapter In is for Napkin.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Hope you enjoy it.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: In is for napkin.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Can things get much simpler than a napkin?
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's a dining accessory we take for granted.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: We use it to wipe our mouths and clean up spills, yet don't give it a moment's thought.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: But it might be the most overlooked creative tool in the artist's arsenal.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: How many people have written great ideas on restaurant napkins when paper wasn't available?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: For artists, the napkin is all about making use of what you have in the moment.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: When a great idea strikes or the right opportunity comes along, artists don't wait for circumstances to be perfect.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: They use whatever is available and get to work.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't think you have enough resources, you're not alone.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody knows there will never be enough time or money to do everything you want.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: But you can't let that keep you from starting.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: You have to begin with what you have and build from there.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let your lack of resources become an excuse for not pursuing your dreams.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: John Wooden, the famed UCLA basketball coach, describes the challenges he faced in building a championship team.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: When I came out to UCLA from Indiana State Teachers College in 1948, I had been led to believe we'd soon have an adequate place to practice and play our games.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: However, that did not occur for almost 17 years.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: During that time, I conducted UCLA basketball practice in a crowded, poorly lit, and badly ventilated gym on the third floor of the men's gymnasium building.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Much of the time there was wrestling practice at one end, a trampoline on the side with athletes bouncing up and down, and gymnastics practice on the other side.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: The gym was known as the BO barn because of the odor when it was busy.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: For sixteen years, I helped our managers sweep and mop the floor every day before practice because of the dust stirred up from the other activities.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: These were hardship conditions, not only for the basketball team, but for the wrestling and gymnastics team members and coaches as well.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: You could have written a long list of excuses why UCLA shouldn't have been able to develop a good basketball team there.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Nevertheless, the BO barn was where we built teams that won national championships in 1964 and 1965.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: You must take what is available and make the very most of it.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's tempting to focus on the reasons you can't make great art.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, focus on the resources you do have and get busy building from there.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: The great hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, didn't let her limitations stop her.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Although an incompetent doctor blinded her as a young child, she fell in love with poetry and wrote her first stanzas at age eight.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: She was a zealous learner and could quote large sections of the Bible by heart, including the Pentateuch, the Gospels, and Proverbs.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Crosby wrote over 9,000 hymns in her lifetime and personally knew many presidents.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let excuses hold you back.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look around.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to build something great, you have exactly what you need to get started.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Even if it's just a napkin.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Questions for reflection.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, do you feel you don't have the right resources to do the creative work you need?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Or why not?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, make a list of three things you think you need.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: It could be time, money, connections, training, or something else.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Which one is most important right now?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: What can you do in the next seven days to get more of that resource?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, if you discovered you had one year to live, how would that change your sense of urgency and your perception of the lack of resources?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, I hope you enjoyed that excerpt from the artist suitcase.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you're interested in grabbing a copy of the whole book, you can go to Kent Sanders.net slash suitcase.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: I also want to give a huge shout out to today's sponsor, the Writers Talk App.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you've always wanted to write a book but you don't know how to get started, I promise you're going to love the Writers Talk app.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you join, you get immediate access to hundreds of instructional videos, a tool to help you come up with more ideas, and best of all, a community where you can collaborate with other authors.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: The Writers Talk app is only$4.99 a month, and you can check it out by going to writerstalk.app.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for listening, and I'll see you next time.