In Robert Fulghum’s 1986 book, All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Fulghum has a section where he remarks upon all of the time saving devices of the modern era that fail miserably at saving us time.

The microwave, the washing machine, the crock pot, and their ilk promised us oodles of free time that would have normally been taken up by lowly and distasteful tasks of survival. We lived in a golden age of time saving gadgets and yet few of us had any time to spare. How was this possible?

We’ve added lots of gadgets and programs since then— air fryers, computers, email, texting… SLACK, and we are not winning the work/life balance race. Many of us feel on call 24/7 and not just at our jobs but for our friends and family as well. We have grown to despise “work” so much that it (and all of its synonyms) should be avoided at all costs.

AI then steps in to save the day. The internet tells us that teenagers are passively getting rich with AI as if wealth and passivity are things we should unquestionably long for. But what is it that we give up when we give up work? And what does it mean for work to be meaningful?

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Listen, we all need to check out every once in a while. Whether we indulge in true crime, cults, bro-comedies, or reality TV, we all know what it is like to switch our brains off and go along for the ride.

That’s ok. It serves its purpose. There is nothing wrong with “guilty pleasures”. Unless your entire leisure time diet is guilty pleasures. If that is the case, you may find your creative mind sluggish and unmotivated. It’s a slippery slope that leads to negative self-talk and estrangement from your creative self.

Today we are talking about the importance of engaging with art that challenges you. Art that requires a bit more from you as the receiver can pay big dividends.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

And if you want to watch The Wages of Fear, you should. You absolutely should.

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I talk a lot about the benefits of taking the smallest increment of time each day to hold on to a creative practice in a busy, busy life.

But what if you take your 15 minutes and cannot decide what to do with it? Anyone who has ever scrolled through Netflix with an indecisive friend can relate to the frustration of watching your “indulgence time” slip away from you with indecision.

The key to focusing your creative time is to embrace limitation. You will be shocked how engaged and excited you can become when you make things challenging, but not impossible. (Although, I know there are some of you that love the impossible, too. You know who you are!)

Take 15 minutes of your day to inspire your next 15 Creative Minutes! Consider sharing this free podcast with someone who needs a creative pep talk.

If you have questions about making room for your creative practice or a hurdle you face in your creative life, start a conversation here! Perhaps we’ll stumble upon a new topic for an Imperfect Impulse episode or (even better) we can build a community of creative wisdom together.

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I have been thinking a lot about how we compartmentalize business, art, and life as a way to survive the difficulty of seeking money and acclaim to justify our involvement in art. We all need to define our relationship to the work because the world only gives us a narrow commercial space in which to operate. If we can’t fit in that narrow space, we can experience pain, self doubt, and feelings of rejection.

But what if we can create a new space for ourselves outside of those demands? What if we can provide validation and affirmation for ourselves?

Below is a picture of the mosaic my sister and I made together. Tune in to find out how it destroyed my voice!

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We all want to be seen and heard, but do we have the desire to see and to hear?

On today’s episode we contemplate the true effort of listening.

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Today I’m all over the place. We start at RRR and make our way to nationalism, propaganda, news, effective communication, talk backs, and moral and artistic integrity.

You may need a safety harness and a crash helmet for today’s episode! It’s a journey!

For those of you who are interested, here is the Vox article about the politics of RRR that I reference in today’s episode.

As always, if you find The Imperfect Impulse useful/engaging, please share! If you would like to ask a process question, please feel free to reach out to me through the comments or by emailing me at [email protected]. Your question may influence an episode!

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Low Stakes Play is a foundational concept for my theatre company, Playful Substance. We use it to program our season, relate to our audience, cast our shows, develop our plays, and structure our working sessions.

Low Stakes Play is not always easy to achieve, but it is essential for open and honest work.

For those of you who want to hear the .38 Special song that I reference, check out the video below.

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Today’s episode is all about using our mental state as a reason to not show up. Unfortunately, you do this too many times and you will find yourself losing connections and collaborators.

I come at this topic as a person who struggles with task initiation, focus, and an intense fear of rejection, among my Chief Demons. We all have them. I am going to argue that having them isn’t the problem. Dealing with them is. It seems we are, collectively speaking) enabling defeat.

It’s like that old joke-

“Doc, whenever I do this with my arm, it hurts.”

“Stop doing that, then.”

For those of you who listen to the full show, here is the earworm I promised. For those of you who haven’t listened yet and just click on the link… sorry?

Please remember to comment and share if you find this episode useful!

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

I am having a low-focus day and need a bit of fun.

You will need a piece of paper and a writing implement to get the most out of today’s frivolity.

Just roll with it.

If you like today’s episode (Or ANY of our episodes!) please feel free to share. These episodes are free.

If you are interested in becoming a paid subscriber, please know that your subscription helps support Playful Substance, a developmental theatre company in NYC. We offer accessible Writers’ Groups, memoir workshops, full productions, and community events. Paid subscribers get access to our back catalog of Unreliable Narrator posts, and first dibs on Playful Substance events PLUS, some surprises we will be unveiling later this year.

Unreliable Narrator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Our Writers’ Groups operate online… so if you are looking for a place to develop your stage play or screenplay, reach out and I’ll tell you all about it. Email me at [email protected].

Enjoy this week’s episode of The Imperfect Impulse.

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Social media offers a lot of instruction on what NOT to say, but offers very little guidance on the other half of communication.

Listening.

Sure. We are told to listen, but how? It is just assumed that we know. That we inherently understand that… DUH… listening is important.

But listening is quite complex. It’s way more than hearing the words and judging them as “right” or “wrong” and responding. Listening is about taking in, analyzing and interpreting the intended message, then deciding if that information warrants your engagement in some way.

In today’s episode of The Imperfect Impulse, we’re talking about taking what you need from feedback and either reframing or discarding as necessary.

Thanks for listening to The Imperfect Impulse. This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe