Several years ago, I made a nearly nightly trip to Barnes & Noble to read and write. I had discovered Seth Godin’s books Tribes and The Dip and I was starting another: Lynchpin. This was the book I was looking for. In a very literal and figurative way. It was the book. The book I wanted and the book I needed.
This was in the midst of a low point in my professional life and this book, devoured in just a couple two-hour sittings was the inspiration and the clarity I needed. I would read a page or two, put it down, scribble some notes, and return. Then repeat two pages later. So many notes, but the sense of direction was urgent!
It is Seth’s voice I hear in my head now when things get too complicated. When things threaten to derail my work. When I put things off because they just aren’t right. And his voice tells me to just ship it.
'Just ship it.' -Seth Godin Share on X
I’ve been looking at a redesign for this space for some time. And I’ve been reading many different authorities on branding and what I need to do to make this site better. The conflicting suggestions have so often produced analysis paralysis.
The voice I needed to hear was Seth’s, reminding me to stop fiddling and just ship.
No Sidebar
A second voice that has pushed me is one with a very different perspective.
Brian Gardner is the founder of Studiopress, makers of the Genesis Framework. This is the theme I use for my site. This was enough for me to click follow on Twitter, but not enough incentive to really care what he had to say.
Then, when I wanted some new direction, I went to his blog and found his personal experience so captivating. He was struggling with esteem, with value, with just shipping, in a way that felt so familiar that I wanted to participate.
He started a blog, Unfiltered (now defunct) to deal with some of these issues of feeling like he couldn’t speak his mind, or speak with a true voice, and this was his attempt to do that. I really appreciated it at the time.
It is his new endeavor, however, that really pops. Brian discovered minimalism and captured an idea that has really resonated with me. He started a new site: No Sidebar which describes it this way
Imagine a life without sidebars — and I’m not just talking about websites.
Metaphorically speaking, this would mean a life free of all of the things that clutter our lives and impede success. From a web standpoint, this would mean literally removing the sidebars from our website, or at the very least minimizing all the bells and whistles and buttons and ads — keeping only what is necessary, getting rid of what you don’t need.
Either way you slice it, our lives are filled with an overabundance of “stuff” that continually gets in the way of who and where we really want to be.
Already thinking about the sidebar in my life, I immediately started thinking of getting rid of the sidebar on my site. I needed to take this suggestion literally because I needed an action, a tangible change. Because I wanted to bring a greater sense of intentional design to my whole life, my work, and my site.
I knew I could simplify it all, but could I do this and still share what it is that I offer? What it is that I’m driven to do?
Orange
I’m more Faulkner than Hemingway, so the idea of minimal design, is exciting, if not more difficult and pretty alien. In a high school class reading of Hamlet, I was volunteered to play Polonius. A friend leaned over: “That’s not a compliment.” And I replied, “yeah, but I’ll take it as one anyway.”
I know my writing needs more precision, sharpening. I could benefit from simplicity and immediacy. It also needs me. It needs energy and passion. It needs a challenge to it, without the snark. My site, my writing, my life, needs to feel the boldness I desire for my life, the necessity and the conviction.
We need to reflect the beauty of creation; the color, the imagery, the poetry, very rhythm of a busy life, of a full life, of a life vibrant and bold expectation.
Or maybe, I just needed to get orange on the site.
Next
This redesign isn’t just for the site itself, but for my outlook and my lifestyle. I am simplifying my life and decluttering my presence in the world and in the web. I am clarifying my message and life to speak more boldly and with greater precision. And I am building my sense of urgency to seize opportunities in life and work as they come and to live, now.
This work has led me to clarify my hopes for this site and what I want to offer. And I am still clarifying them. But rather than let them sit so I can make the perfect relaunch of my overhauled brand identity (what other jargon can I include here?), I wanted to ship it. I just want to get moving and let the evolve happen with time.
I also want to see how the different parts resonate with you. Do you want resources and tips and information about how to bring a spirit of surprise and creativity to your faith? Do you want more information about living with the tension of a world of individualism and more vs. a tradition and scripture which teaches us to live collectively and simply? Do you want more about the future of church or about the future of my life, personally?
Don’t forget to check out the homepage!
I’d love for you to share in the comments below, on Facebook, or email me. Tell me what you think of the redesign and what you most look forward to hearing from me. Every bit helps (unless you just want to be a dick; that never helps).
Lastly, as July is a busy month for many (and I’ll be busy snoozing in a hammock), I want to see what we can create these next four weeks. Vacation pictures, rock paintings, poetry written, or even a list of the books you read at the beach. Send those in, post them in the comments or on my Facebook wall, or tweet them at me with the hashtag #CreateJuly.
How much fun can we have this summer?
A lot? Then let’s prove it!
Shalom,
Drew
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