This blog was started in late 2012, out of a burning desire to CREATE SOMETHING. In the past ten years, I’ve played in bands, written little plays or essays, produced events – but moving to a new continent in 2012 resulted in so many changes, including a prolonged lack of creativity. I have no shortage of ideas and my “professional life” involves taking initiative and organising extraordinary things, nearly always for entertainment or culture. But lately, every time I sit down to make something – play guitar, type a letter, develop one of many script ideas – I get restless and do something “more productive,” usually on the computer. Undeniably, creative expression, especially writing, balances my nerves, satiates my hunger, fuels my adventure: I know I need it. With 2012 evidently being my Year of Great Independence, there really is no excuse not to write, regardless of an audience.
Being from the first generation of internet adoption, this is a comfortable and convenient forum for my expression. I spend so much time reading blogs, scrolling Tumblrs, browsing Instagram and being annoyed by Facebook status updates (the lowest and most common form of online self-expression, but I digress) it’s time I do some expressing. This isn’t the first time I’ve had a blog – I launched my own website, JoshMcNorton.com, for that exact purpose around 1998 (were you even using the internet then? I doubt it. Just sayin’). This blog (ugh, I’m already sick of the word, aren’t you?) will hopefully be much more interesting than previous attempts and ultimately something I stick with. It is inherently a reflection of where I am, in many ways.
My original name for this site was Adventures In Breakfast, as the phrase occurred to me one day after I made an epic breakfast – my only culinary delight, dare I call it a skill – and attempted to take a photo of it for my Instagram. I am not a good photographer and my phone’s camera sucks so it didn’t pan out (plus, who gives a shit what I’m eating?) I realized, though, that this tiny gesture was part of a much, much larger desire to create something online – to express and contribute, beyond random blurry Instagrams and infrequent Facebook updates (I abandoned Twitter years ago and don’t think I have ever used Google+). Whether this project is the catalyst for more meaningful creative endeavours or simply an outlet for a busy mind and fast fingers, right now it feels right. Let’s begin.