Of all things Geek. I am…
Jasper Mall is a documentary about where malls are as of 2020. The height of “mall nostalgia” isn’t enough to support the malls, so we’re forced to ask, “Where are they now?” They aren’t nearly what we remember, and unless something changes, they won’t be anything but myth.
There are some real shots at the beginning of this documentary that feel like they belong in a surrealist film. Empty mall. Empty parking lot. Empty sky. These shots, while beautiful, are also haunting.
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I have a process. I read a book, I write about it, and then it goes into the queue for publication. My system, while not perfect, is mine. And I never start a new book without first writing about the one I just finished. Since I started the blog, I’ve not skipped a review.
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If you have been listening to The Palmer Files podcast or following me on Twitter, then you know I am interested in the process. I love figuring out how it’s done, how to do it better, how to create and recreate. I’m intrigued by all of it, and “It All Begins with a Song” is absolutely about the process.
It’s the story of Nashville as the songwriting capital of the world, but it’s also about the process of songwriting, which is applicable to any and all creative endeavors. For this reason, every creator should watch this documentary.
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I’ve been alternating my reading habits between fiction and non-fiction for a while now, but most of my fiction has been realistic fiction. These are stories that exist in a made-up real world. It could be argued that The Yiddish Policeman’s Union is realistic fiction that feels like surrealistic fiction, which was one of the reasons I couldn’t put it down.
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I have been out of work. I have been networking and applying and battling depression throughout a pandemic. But I have also maintained this blog and a podcast and kept up to date with digital marketing trends.
And yet, commonly, people I respect ask me “what of this have you done for money?” I’m sick of the sentiment. If a runner runs a few laps on their own because they got to practice early, most coaches will count that. If a musician practices on their own time to get better that’s experience that is important to the craft. There are many other examples of this.
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