This is a cross post from I’ll Do It Later, my new Substack that’s taking the world by storm? I mean, by storm! It’s for self-employed creatives who struggle to get their work done. Actually, a lot of people have subscribed and I’m grateful.

Sorry if you are receiving this twice, it won’t be a regular thing.

Here’s part one of a series of time-consuming, expensive and pointless projects I’ve started and never completed in my never-ending quest for dopamine.

The projects are fun but ultimately unrealistic. They’re funrealistic!

Hey look! It’s my would-be game show, Jackpot Basement!

The idea was a weekly book giveaway hosted by my son. It would feature my books and the books of visiting author friends. The official reason was to build an online audience, but I really wanted to build a shop-vac-based lottery-style ball machine The logistics of the giveaway could be sorted out later, I had a shop vac to buy.

Some of the kid lit celebs I’ve had in my basement.

Sergio Ruzzier!

Laurie Keller!

Charise Harper!

But wait, there’s more…

Yes, I made shirts.

Yes, I made a stamp.

Screen printed photo backgrounds? Yes!

Okay, so here’s how it was supposed to work:

Just kidding, I have no idea. People would have to enter by commenting on or liking a post, then I would assign them a number, I guess? Then I’d shoot an episode and announce the winner? Then contact them for their physical address and mail out a book?

Sounds like a lot of work to show off my cool shop vac ball machine.

Let’s break it down:

Time Consuming?

Yes, just look at it.

Expensive?

Yes, just look at it.

Pointless?

Absolutely.

It never launched. I don’t remember exactly, but I’m sure my lil hobby got in the way of deadlines and I then had to crank to get a book done. My spotlight of attention can only point at one thing at a time.

A couple years later my son and I were drawing at a coffee shop. I told him my plans to start a blog.

He said, “Yeah, but you never do anything you say you’re going to do.”

I did the blog, but he was right. His quote is now framed on my desk.

Jackpot Basement taught me that I’m only one person. Even if I can do something, it doesn’t mean I should. I was excited to source the parts, design the graphics, that I could make it on desktop software, that I could shoot it on my phone (it was 2014), and that I already had screen printing stuff. Also, do you know how easy it is to make a rubber stamp? All you need is money! Seriously, why wouldn’t I take on a second full time job for the privilege of shipping out free copies of my books?

Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. And in this case, I couldn’t. And yes, this is a lesson I should have learned decades before, like a regular kind of person.

The allure of super complex creative projects isn’t as compelling anymore. All that energy goes into working on my books. Guess I’m just older and wiser now. Maybe it’s from some honest reflection about where my priorities should be. Maybe all that meditation is finally paying off in the form a calmer, more reasonable mind.

I guess I’ll never know.

So are you saying you can never do anything silly and fun?

Not at all! I love silly, fun things and I think side projects and interests only help the creative work you do for work. I’m saying don’t tell my son or he’ll say something true and incredibly cutting.

The shop vac has come in handy around the house though.

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