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Is it just us or has everything been feeling a little stagnant lately? As we find ourselves caught in the monotonous whirlpool of tending to responsibilities, making ends meet, and feeling just that much older every time we come up for air, it can start to feel like our lives have lost all momentum—and the longer we’re forced to cling to these empty routines, the harder it seems to grasp firmly the hope that used to buoy us towards our imagined futures.

Kicking off the much anticipated (we tell ourselves) Nah-Cademics Season 2, Brett and John return from their mundane meanderings to discuss that ever-lingering question of how one keeps creative hope alive in a world (and body) which only gets more exhausting by the day… hence why John keeps yawning. #methodpodcasting

— Is the joy one experiences through art a sufficient enough motivation to continue—especially when the financial realities of life are particularly pressing?

— As the old roadmaps for “success” are seeming less realistic, is there hope to be found in embracing the new opportunities modernity has to offer and celebrating momentum on a smaller scale?

— Now that Brett has discovered a newfound optimism, can John follow suit by simply living vicariously through his Latin American counterpart with whom he shares an Apple Music profile?

As always, Nah-cademics offers no definitive answers to any of these questions (well, except maybe that last one, the answer is: yes, yes, he can. The music slaps.)—it is honestly just a nourishing way to pass the time. However, if you find yourself feeling like the only one trapped on the tarmac to nowhere (and really hoping your guitar doesn’t end up in Guam again), this podcast is for you!

PS) Our sincere apologies to the artist Rodriguez for not being able to remember his name while recording. Latin John Dennis almost certainly would have, so add another point to his column.

JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions

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What is true artistic freedom? We’d all almost certainly argue that it looks something like having no boundaries or restrictions to one’s creative process or the time needed to perfect it. Maybe it means having the resources to rent a studio and pay musicians for months on end, or maybe it looks more like being able to create any convention-defying work you want without fear of rejection or financial consequence—ideally, not a podcast.

Regardless, we all have a tendency to romanticize the freedom which, in practice, is often both unrealistic and ineffective while resenting the limitations that, in reality, can actually be beneficial as they force us to rein in our perfectionism and discipline our process.

Note: The truth is, Brett and John were about to be late for a movie, so they made the topic on the benefits of limiting factors and hoped you’d think it was enlightened. It was not, but hey, at least you only have to listen to them ramble for half the time.

-What is it about creating “conventional” art that seems so repulsive, and in what ways has our deliberate striving to feel original prevented us from disciplined growth?

-How can daily, scheduled creative periods and deadlines aid in getting us out of cycles of inactivity and perfectionism?

-How does Brett and John’s limitation of endlessly overthinking how they’re being perceived benefit them in the creation of a podcast that is shorter than normal?

As always, Nah-cademics offers no definitive answers to these questions—well, except maybe that last one (answer: heh heh, it does not.)—it is but the, usually meandering, chatter of fools, but if you find yourself creating only excuses but never any art, this podcast is for you—and we’ll only be enabling your distraction for half the normal time.

Come, overthink with us!

JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions

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Why is it that no matter how vigorously we run the race of life, we always end up feeling like we’re falling behind? Whether we’re losing ground, time, or patience, why do we invariably get so bogged down by what we know to be but mundane detours in our quest for joy that we put on the back burner any of the activities that will actually bring us closer to our true goals?

In this episode, our favorite carping creatives, Brett and John, revel in their own Sisyphean struggles when it comes to actually, you know, creating and aim to find ways to not only extend ourselves some grace, but also better use the free time we do have to feel more fulfilled—such as, complaining about it on an amateur podcast on a biweekly basis.

-What is it about our creative endeavors that makes them so easy to put at the bottom of our to do lists when we’re constantly measuring ourselves most acutely by our progress in them?

-How can we view deadlines as a positive way of forcing our efforts and preventing ourselves from falling into the perfectionism trap?

-For two people so intent on not squandering energy or time in unproductive ways, how’s starting an amateur podcast working out?

As always, Nah-cademics offer no definitive answers to these questions—well except maybe that last one (answer: Well, no worse than anything else, but we do it so you don’t have to)—this is but the spinning of a hamster wheel. All the same, if you find yourself always behind in the things that matter most to you and needing something to listen to while stuck in traffic on an unfulfilling detour of life, this podcast is for you. Silence works too.

Come, overthink with us!

JohnDennisMusic.com
BrettRyanStewart.com
Wirebird Productions