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    “Like the volcano or the Phoenix, the creative process is an inferno that makes room for something new, something brilliant, something lovely. It’s messy. It’s bloody. It’s demanding. It’s rigorous. But, it’s also human. We destroy things not out of hatred but out of love—to make room to till the soil and plant the seeds of our vision. So, when you find yourself feeling self-destructive, don’t panic. Instead, reflect. What vision are you subconsciously making room for?

    Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 62)

      “A few short rules worth living by: 1) Make good art. 2) Live fast. 3) Pet dogs. 4) Give without expectation. 5) Say nice things to others, daily. 6) Leave people better than you found them. 7) Buy experiences more often than products. 8) Always make time for coffee with people you care about.”

      Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 50)

        “Be thankful for the hurt.

        Find meaning in the hurt.

        And,

        understand every moment that it hurts

        represents another moment

        you’re alive

        and breathing

        and living

        and loving

        and experiencing

        all the beauty

        this world has to offer.”

        Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 48)

          “Do not live half a life

          and do not die a half death.

          If you choose silence, 

          then be silent.

          When you speak, 

          do so until you are finished.

          If you accept, 

          then express it bluntly.

          Do not mask it.

          If you refuse 

          then be clear about it

          for an ambiguous refusal 

          is but a weak acceptance.

          Do not accept half a solution

          Do not believe half truths

          Do not dream half a dream

          Do not fantasize about half hopes.

          Half the way will get 

          you nowhere.

          You are a whole that exists 

          to live a life.

          Not half a life.”

          Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

            “While competition certainly makes sense in the world of sports—where at the end of each game somebody wins and somebody loses—there’s no place for competition in the arts. One way to determine whether or not art is ‘successful’ is if it’s original. Ironically, it’s impossible to be original in the arts if you’re competing with another artist, because to compete is to agree you are playing the same game. And so in art, to compete is to lose.”

            Cole Schafer

              “It’s not too late to get back on track. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve fallen, how harsh the crowd is looking at you, how mad they rightfully are. All you need to focus on is returning to your principles, returning to the worship of reason, returning to the habits and practices and arete that made you great in the first place. This won’t be easy, but it is simple. And it can be quick.”

              Ryan Holiday

                “Sometimes, I wonder if we hurt others because we feel lonely in our own pain.”

                Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 45)

                  “I couldn’t tell you what I fear

                  more. Spending the rest of my life

                  with just one person. Or, never

                  finding one person I want to spend

                  the rest of my life with.”

                  Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 43)

                    “How to talk to people.

                    1. Listen.

                    2. Look them in the eyes (I struggle here).

                    3. Set your phone on silent & leave it face down on the table.

                    4. Don’t make small talk (everyone knows it’s cold).

                    5. Listen.

                    6. Don’t agree just for the sake of agreeing.

                    7. Don’t disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.

                    8. Listen.

                    9. Say something interesting.

                    10. Leave them better than you found them.

                    11. Listen.”

                    Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 39)

                      “When you hate someone,

                      be certain you’re hating them,

                      not the fabricated version of them

                      you’ve created in your head.”

                      Cole Schafer (January Black), One Minute, Please? (Page 29)

                        “When you talk to people whose worlds are burning down you keep your voice quiet, steady, still and consistent. Your voice controls the energy in the room and in many ways it controls the emotions of the individual in front of you.”

                        Eugene, via One Minute, Please? (Page 25)