Connecting with Kevin Ed. 4

Welcome to Connecting with Kevin, Edition #4! In this edition, I let you in on the creative process required to do what I do, and where I'll be this week if you want to see what it looks like when I grow my hair out.

The Creative Brain Fog

I've honestly heard it since I was a child. "Kevin, you're so creative." Make no mistake, it's a blessing and a curse. The people who are able to tap into the creative centers of the brain deal with this paradoxical issue. At the very center of "creative" is the root word, create. Create is a verb, requiring an actual activity, turning an idea into reality. This is where some of us struggle. Am I creative if I don't create?

I love the concept of "Connecting with Kevin". I love writing. I love connecting with those of you who read every edition. I love sharing my story. As I creep closer to 50 years old, my life's focus continues to become more clear. Connection, love, quality-time, laughter, painful faces from smiling. Less drama, more time in the company of those people who fill me up, and allow me to do the same for them. More champagne in fancy flutes.

The difficult part of a newsletter like this is overthinking. What do people want to hear? In fact, this past Friday I said out loud, "crap, I have a newsletter deadline on Monday". When I told Cynthia Hicks that I wasn't sure what to write about, she said write about that. So here I am writing about writing.

In early 2018 when I launched Commuting With Kevin , the goal was one show per week. That worked for about a month. Social media creator is a painful gig, as there is a deep-rooted desire to release banger after banger, and it simply isn't fair to expect that. I've struggled with that mightily. I'd venture a guess that 50-75 ideas never came to fruition simply because I told myself a story that it wasn't funny, wasn't interesting, wasn't educational. I was (am) my worst critic.

As I look back on years of writing, creating, and social media distribution, I realize that the things I thought were awesome got little fanfare. The things I thought were "ho-hum" ended up getting multiple hits. It has always led me to believe that there is no science to this. Perhaps the phrase to consider is "Just Create". It seems to have worked for Matt Rife.

Which is a great transition to another brain-block I have. I don't like repeating things. I see so many social media influencers re-using material consistently. I'm well aware that the practice is common, but I happen to hate it for myself. It is one thing that stood in my way of continuing to pursue stand-up comedy. I have such a great respect for people who can go out night after night and tell the same stories, the same punchlines. It wasn't my thing. Something about it made me bored, and it probably came out in my voice. To me, it was never as good as it was the first time. Isn't that strange?

So, here I am. Overthinking. Should I tell the story about how Metallica's Nothing Else Matters became my favorite song? Do you want to know about my hesitancy about sending someone a simple "Congratulations" on Linkedin when they get a new job or promotion? It isn't enough.

I'm overthinking it, but that's the reality of a creative.

It's Officially Office Party Season

My friends at FEI Chicago are hosting their annual holiday party on Thursday the 7th. I'll be there in my new Christmas Plaid jacket. Last season, I went to several different stores in the Northwest Indiana area looking for a perfect holiday jacket, to no avail. Here's the thing. I have to try things on, especially for a special event. I could order tons of jackets online, but nothing beats knowing for a fact that an item fits perfectly before said event.

I also haven't cut my hair since late summer, so the "flow" (as the kids say) is starting to get a little crazy. The promise I made with my older kids was that I won't cut it until someone stops me on the street and gives me $20 for a haircut. I've also promised that if Purdue Basketball makes the Final Four, I'll get a full-on mullet for the festivities. We should all be rooting for that. Boiler up.

I'll leave you with my doggos carrying on the bow tie tradition. Good boys.

See you all in two weeks when I'll write about Christmas in the Hicks house growing up. It was an ordeal.

Have a great week.

Kevin