Don’t Be Sloppy

When I started this blog, I was posting every day, thinking about what I would write during my morning jog and crafting what I felt like was going to be a useful anecdote or at least something relatable. During that first week I was stressing a little bit when my schedule got funked up one day and as I was sitting down to write that day’s entry my dad asked, “Why do it every day? No one is waiting for it. Do it once a week.” Me, being big on routines and consistency was like “because I gotta be there all the time every day to prove I can do it.”

Prove it to who? Myself? Almost ten months later, I’m fairly certain that essentially no one is waiting for these posts. No one is counting on me to be here every day except myself. There are fewer and fewer anecdotes. Some days my posts are quick and quippy but not even very thoughtful. That doesn’t reflect well on a company with a brain for a logo.

I’m not sure I’ll continue this practice in our next phase. The sentiment will remain in our next iteration, but I’d rather be impressive and a little less visible than sloppy and oversaturated.

-J.P.

Scheme Fits

Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Take football, for instance. There are power backs; they’re bigger, stronger more physical runners who break tackles and play through contact well. There are also elusive backs. These players are speedier and more agile - they may be better out in the open field and running pass catching routes in the short field. Now there are also a few special players who can do it all and excel at every aspect of their position, but we’re going to ignore those for now.

These different archetypes lend themselves to different situations, and different teams prefer different styles of offense. Some teams are centered around power running schemes where the objective is to pound the ball on the ground, trying to exploit gaps at the line of scrimmage and maybe some play-action. There are also west coast schemes that are predicated on a spread offense and operating out of the shotgun, making quick decisions and getting the ball out in the open field.

Now imagine you’re someone like Derrick Henry: 6’4”, 225 pounds, strong and capable of running over other fully grown elite athletes, stuck in a system where you’re expected to catch passes out in the flat and make people miss with lateral movement and agility. Sounds like maybe not everyone is optimizing their potential, no? Or picture this; you’re De’Von Achane, 5’9”, weighing in at 187 and you run a forty yard dash in less than 4.3 seconds, but you play on a team that believes the best way to win is by trying to run inside, and the plan is to constantly send you into a sea of guys that are all 270-plus. Sounds like a bad idea doesn’t it?

Luckily for both those guys, they’ve found themselves in situations that play to their strengths. Derrick Henry has led the NFL in rushing yards multiple times ( I think, to be honest I didn’t check any stats to write this) and De’Von Achane just scored 4 touchdowns today: two by the ground and two by air.

What I’m saying is fit matters. Different people strive in different systems. Sometimes all a person needs to do is change their environment to make a breakthrough.

-J.P.

I’m Not a Conspiracy Theorist…

but do you ever think that all the new music sounds the same because the big powers that be are trying to brainwash us and keep us dumb so they can take advantage of the masses? I’m not saying they are but… are they?

-J.P.

Manic Wisdom

Crazy is only crazy until crazy works. Then it’s working crazy.

Idk. Was that a good one? I’m in a bit of a rush. I probably sound crazy right now.

-J.P.

Separation of Church and State

This is where life gets hard to balance. The thing I do for money is make stuff, and the thing I do for enjoyment is make stuff. Also the thing I like to do most with my friends is make stuff. But I can’t always make stuff. This is where life gets hard to balance.

-J.P.

Not Everyone Needs to See The Vision

Here’s an analogy a mentor made the last time we spoke. If you build a house, the painters don’t have to understand the blueprint. They just have to paint the walls. There’s only one architect.

Just wanted to share some wisdom. When you build a team, you don’t need everyone to do everything. Just find people who excel at their roles.

-J.P.

Act When it Comes

I generally have a pretty good memory. Problem is, I’m getting older. Problem also is, I have a lot of things that I keep in my head. For example, while I was walking the dog this morning, I thought of something I’d like to write about here and I said to myself “that’ll be a good thought for today.” I have literally no idea what that idea was. It’s gone, slipped into the ether. Maybe it’ll come back, maybe it won’t.

I say that to say, write it down. Act on the thought while you have it. Don’t let the buzz die. Just do the thing you have in your head. If it turns out you don’t like it as much as you thought you would, at least you have a foundation upon which you can build. You can refine an idea that you’ve tried. You can’t do anything with something you forgot but wonder what it was.

-J.P.

The Thing About Me

Here’s the thing about me. If I see a movie I like, I leave the theatre thinking about the movie I’m going to make. If I go to a museum I go and paint in my sketchbook one time and immediately start thinking about how I could get that page in a gallery somewhere. If I go to a basketball game I’m sitting there talking about how I could get 30 next time I’m at the park. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, I feel like I can do it. Seriously. Is it my gift or my curse? I don’t know. Only time will tell.

-J.P.

Batting One Thousand

Forgot to blog yesterday. I thought about it a lot but I just forgot again. It happens. It’s happened to me. You would know if you you’ve been following along. To be honest, I can’t imagine anyone has actually read every single one of these. Except maybe my mom and Bryana. They might be be the only two. Their dedication is much appreciated.

That’s pretty much it for today. Some time away from my script has made space for a new idea that I think might help take “Running” to the next level, so we’ll see how that goes. Yesterday we went to a Basquiat exhibit downtown and it reminded me to be bold.

Happy Sunday!

-J.P.