Working Hard + Working Smart

Rethinking How I Do What I Do

Casey Neistat dropped a vlog yesterday that’s got lots of people buzzing. It’s all about encouraging us to step out of our comfort zones and tackle tough challenges.

I first discovered Casey—and his brother Van—on The Neistat Brothers, a short-lived HBO series from 2010. The show helped me realize DIY art and content creation was a viable option. One I might want to even try myself.

It only took a decade—and change—for me to get off my butt and get started.

Since then, I’ve realized creativity and productivity are two sides of the same coin.
Creativity fuels my soul; productivity keeps my body and mind in motion.

With so many self-appointed “gurus” and tech tools promising shortcuts to success, it’s too easy to confuse “working hard” with “working smart” these days. So when I’m overwhelmed by all the humans and tech, I unplug and get back to basics.

TECHNOLOGY = DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Technology can be a game-changing muse—or siren—for us creative types.

From using the ChatGPT-powered Apple Intelligence to copyedit this blog to using a text-to-speech generator to narrate it, the possibilities are endless. But whenever I rely too heavily on tech, I worry I’m not working “hard” enough and/or that what makes a work “mine” is in jeopardy.

Also, based on personal experience, over-reliance on tech tools can lead to burnout.

Every new app or platform tempts you to optimize something, yet sometimes all you need is a pen, paper, and a quiet moment to think.

The simpler the tools, the clearer the focus.

COPY CATS = IMITATION AS A FORM OF FLATTERY

Have you ever noticed how kittens learn? They watch older cats—or humans—before trying something new. They copy and imitate, and that’s how they become experts.

Creators can learn from kittens too. Copying and imitating—and even stealing—from the best isn’t cheating. It’s how we all learn. It’s how we figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s how we find our own style and way.

TOOLS, NOT TRAPS

For me, the creative life is all about finding balance. And that includes using tools to help me, not letting them take over or control me.

As a tech-savvy person with a bit of a perfectionist streak, I can easily get caught up in the trap of “find a better app.” But based on many years of experience, I know the best techniques and tools are meant to empower us to work smarter, not distract us from our main goal.

Fun Fact: I only remember this when I’m smart enough to put down my devices.

WORRY = BATTERY LIFE SUCKER

Worry is like a battery drain—it wastes energy and convinces me that I’m not doing enough or that someone else’s ideas and methods are better.

Every moment I spend in self-doubt is a moment I could have spent creating.

I also have to beware of my inner perfectionist. While it often hides behind the guise of productivity, it’s usually just fear in disguise. And ain’t nobody got time for that.

WORK SMART, THEN WORK HARD

As I adjust to new tools—”Jr.” the Mac mini is a BIG upgrade—I realize working smart isn’t about avoiding effort. It’s about channeling my energy and time into what matters most. I do my best to let my tools help me be more creative, not replace my creativity. I learn when they’re helping me and when they’re holding me back.

Remember the wisdom of the “copy” cats: imitation can lead to insights.
It’s what we do with those insights that matter.
That’s where the “magic” truly happens.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

NEWS + VIEWS

• Apple Smells Blood in the Water (PetaPixel)

• The Elegiac Art of Robert Frank (The New Yorker)

• AI Copyright Claimed My Last Video (Venus Theory) 📺

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ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 16

BIRTHDAYS

• 1873 = W. C. Handy = American composer (“Father of the Blues”)

• 1899 = Mary Margaret McBride = American radio host (“First Lady of Radio”)

• 1907 = Burgess Meredith = American actor and filmmaker

• 1946 = Barbara Smith = American writer and activist 🌈

• 1946 = Beverly Smith = American writer and activist 🌈

• 1948 = Dennis Severs = American-British founder of Dennis Severs' House 🌈

• 1951 = Paula Vogel = American playwright 🌈

• 1964 = Diana Krall = Canadian singer-songwriter

• 1967 = Lisa Bonet = American actor

• 1970 = Martha Plimpton = American actor

• 1972 = Missi Pyle = American actor

• 1977 = Maggie Gyllenhaal = American actor

• 1993 = Pete Davidson = American comedian and actor

CELEBRATIONS

• Movember

• National Button Day

• National Fast Food Day

EVENTS

• 1914 = The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States officially opens.

• 1920 = Qantas, Australia's national airline, is founded as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited.

• 1938 = LSD is first synthesized by Albert Hofmann.

• 1945 = UNESCO is founded.

• 1959 = The Sound of Music opens on Broadway; runs for 1,443 performances.

• 1989 = The Center for Homosexual Lifestyles was established in Berlin. It was the first time in Germany that a public office was established specifically to deal with the concerns of lesbians and gay men.

• 1990 = Home Alone is released in theaters.

• 1990 = Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It's True album.

• 2001 = Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is released in theaters.

• 2009 = David Atlanta, Southern Voice, Washington Blade, and more LGBTQ+ magazines and newspapers cease publication when their publisher declares bankruptcy.

• 2012 = Silver Linings Playbook is released in theaters.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I disappear from the public eye and get rediscovered quite often.”
Burgess Meredith

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