The 2023 Gratitude Edition!
A somewhat random hodgepodge of things that make our lives truly lovely.
Geoff and Steve started The Creativity Guild to create a community of mid-life creative explorers looking to reignite their creative sparks. The goal is to build a place for us all to reconnect with our creativity, start the projects we’ve always wanted to work on and be the people we’ve always wanted to be.
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It’s an understatement to say that it’s been a bit of a year. One of the rituals that has gotten Geoff through this year is sitting down with his son every week to try and come up with clever entries into the New Yorker Magazine’s Cartoon Caption contest. His entry into last week’s contest kind of sums up our thoughts about 2023:
So yes, we are certainly living in a time. But despite all of the uncertainty and fear that this moment may bring, we also thought there may be an opportunity to take stock of some of the things we’re grateful for too. Some are big things, most are tiny things, but all have made 2023 just a little bit sweeter.…
Objects
Drinking tea out of my grandmother’s bone china
Many years ago, someone gifted me with a very good bottle of champagne. I held onto it for years before drinking it because it just never felt like a special enough occasion. Then one day I realized that the pressure of waiting for an occasion that warranted champagne meant that I would probably never drink it. So, on one totally unremarkable Tuesday, I opened it. And it was delicious. I feel the same way about my grandmother’s bone china. I inherited a few stunning cups and saucers from her but never really used them until a couple of weeks ago. They’ve transformed my morning ritual, which now includes brewing a pot of tea and drinking it slowly out of a tiny bone china tea cup. I love it. They make any morning feel special. -GS
My concert Ukulele (with it’s low G string)
I’ve dabbled with guitar playing since I was 12. I was never particularly good, but over the years, I’ve learned just enough chords to play most “easy” songs in any guitar songbook. A few years ago, I was on a camping trip with some friends who had brought along a ukulele. I had always looked down on the uke as an instrument for children until my friend began playing it. The sound that came out was incredible. So twangy and spirited! I instantly knew that I needed one in my life. My first uke was a cheap soprano (small) sized one, which was fine, but it wasn’t until a friend of mine recommended upgrading to the slightly larger size, the concert size, and then adding a guitar low G string to it that I truly fell in love. Unlike my guitar, which largely collects dust in the corner of my office, I carry my uke all around my house, strumming as I go. It makes me very, very happy. -GS
People & Animals
My dog
My dog is a bit of a pain in the ass. He barks incessantly. He gets very upset when one of us sits in his spot on the couch. And sometimes in the middle of the night he poops on my floor. But he’s also super cute and cuddly, and just the fact that I get to be in relationship with a creature that is an entirely different species from my own is pretty extraordinary. -GS
One of the best (and hardest) creative experiences of 2023 has been writing a book with the support of the amazing team at Page Two. When you enter into a multi-year creative project in a medium you’ve never worked in, having trusted, open-minded, and generous collaborators makes an enormous difference. Thank you to Jesse, Scott, Peter, Caella, Ashley, and Meghan for all your creative support this year! -SP
Lots of Comedy
Steve has enjoyed a LOT of great comedy this year. Here are some of the ones he enjoyed the most.
Shane Gillis - Beautiful Dogs on Netflix. I loved seeing how his “ah shucks” look of winking glee let him deliver fairly offensive material with a lot of charisma.
Anthony Jeselnik - my wife and I saw Jeselnik’s Bones and All tour in Vancouver and he was a master of misdirection and surprise.
Comedy Book - Jesse David Fox is the comedy journalist at Vulture, who also host the Good One joke-analysis podcast. If you’re a Comedy Nerd (and you know if you are), this is a terrific deep dive into pure Comedy Nerdery.
Jury Duty - I love mockumentaries and this whole series about a fake trial, where everyone is an actor except for one jury member who has no clue he’s on a TV show is next level. James Marsden is amazing at playing a horrific, egomaniacal version of himself.
The Carbanaro Effect - I’ve never seen the TV show, but my TikTok feed was FILLED with this hidden camera magic show, where real people have mind-boggling things happen in real-life locations. They don’t know it’s a magic trick and their heads explode over and over again. I could not get enough of it.
Nate Bargatze - It feels like this has been the year of Nate Bargatze. He hosted Saturday Night Live, had a new standup special on Amazon Prime, and seemed to be everywhere on TikTok. Family-friendly and a great delivery.
-SP
Newsletters & Podcasts
is an amazing podcast. Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter host this killer show about design and creativity that we discovered in 2023 and now totally love. They really get into the weeds in their discussions around creativity with some of the people you’d most want to have conversations like these with. Guests have included John Cleese, David Sedaris, OK GO, Ed Catmull (Pixar) and Seth Godin. Highly recommended! -GS & SPThe Subtle Maneuvers Newsletter
pens the whip-smart newsletter that gets into the weeds of how the most creative people in history did what they did. It details the routines and rituals that led to greatness. It is always fascinating and never fails to inspire. -GSI love all of
’s books on creativity and his newsletter is filled with the same joy and passion for creative exploration. It’s short, snappy, and full of personality. -SPCreative Inspiration
Daughter, by Claudia Dey. My old McGill classmate, Claudia Dey, wrote my favourite fiction book of the year. The language and imagery are distinctive and powerful, and the story delivers a deep emotional impact.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. The iconic music producer wrote a tome on creativity, and it is overflowing with ideas, practices, and ways of thinking about creativity. Months later, I still think about some of the concepts he writes about, and also the very specific language and tone to his writing.
Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly. One of the smartest and most interesting thinkers around, Kelly has delivered a book chock full of short, punchy life advice, much of which struck me as true and wise.
The Bear. So… this is on almost everyone’s list… but as a former TV producer/director, I loved the way it was made as much as I loved the show itself. The difference in pacing, shooting, and tone from Season 1 to Season 2, while still maintaining the same essence, was brilliant. The almost jazz-like shooting and editing of the cooking sequences really showcases how dish selection and preparation is a true creative endeavour better than anything else I’ve seen. Yes, Chef!
The Creativity Guild Itself. This is very meta, but there is almost nothing I’ve enjoyed more than writing about creativity, reading Geoff’s writing about creativity, and hearing from so many of you who are engaged in exploring creativity. I have had SO much fun, whether it’s been writing about living in a van and exploring canyons, revisiting my glory days at MuchMusic, accidentally entering a Hot Rod Parade in an SUV, or even about my experience with a miserable late-night comedian. -SP
And finally, we’re incredibly grateful for…YOU!
To everyone who has read, subscribed, liked, and shared anything we’ve written, oh my goodness, we are grateful. Our little community has grown considerably since we first launched a year ago, and it’s entirely been because of the amazing community of Creativity Guild readers.
So THANK YOU!!! You really are the best. :)
Happy holidays and here’s to a banner year of creativity in 2024! 🎉🎉🎉
- Geoff & Steve
Thanks so much for the very kind shout-out here, Geoff and Steve!
I LOVE lists like this—and I am grateful fo The Creativity Guild! Currently reading Rick Rubin...and now, after reading this, I've subscribed to the Design Better podcast, have borrowed Kevin Kelly's audio book from Libby, and am firing up Shane Gillis on the laptop. Thanks fellas and happy new year!