Chapter 01: A New Creative Beginning

What To Expect: Why I’m starting, upcoming travel, and my new creative beginning. Oh, and music quotes, there will always be music quotes.

A Quick Video Introduction

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What Up!

My name is Doug Newton and for the past 14 years I’ve worked in the TV/Video industry creating video and motion graphics content for sports teams such as the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, St. Louis Rams, and LA Kings, as well as working on TV shows like ESPN Sport Science, American Ninja Warrior. Six years ago I started my own business, King Penguin Media. Since then we’ve been contracted for projects with Nerf, Sony, ESPN, Aon and PGA Tour. 

I’ve been involved in all aspects of production and post-production - from on-set producing and directing to editing and motion graphics, all the way to teaching myself 3d animation to better visualize the stories we’re telling. However, there’s one skill that I feel I’ve neglected since graduating from James Madison University: writing.

For as long as I can remember I would procrastinate every writing project that was assigned to me in school. I would do anything I could think of, including chores, to avoid sitting down at the computer to research and write my paper. Even when I finally did force myself into the chair, I’d just stare at a blank document and blinking cursor. All of this led to me typing at a feverish pace the night before the due date to have something to turn in. Surprisingly, I never got poor grades on all those procrastinated school essays, so I know I’m not a terrible writer, but I’ve never considered myself a good writer.

Even to this day, when I have to write anything, a script, post, or bio, I tend to procrastinate, and I don’t know why that is. Perhaps it’s imposter syndrome that makes it painful for me to sit down and write, or it could be all the ideas swirling around in my head that can seem overwhelming to articulate. Either way, writing is a skill that I’d like to improve upon.

In his book Obstacle Is The Way, Ryan Holiday states, “Obstacles are not only to be expected but embraced. Embraced? Yes, because these obstacles are actually opportunities to test ourselves, to try new things, and, ultimately, to triumph. The obstacle is the way.”

Writing has always been an obstacle for me over the years and I want to embrace that obstacle and challenge myself to overcome it and ultimately feel more confident when writing.

So, this is my new creative beginning. This is how I’m starting my journey to overcome this obstacle and improve my communication skills. Blogging gives me an outlet to work on my writing the same way a basketball player works on shooting or a golfer on their swing - through experimentation and most importantly, repetition. 

This is my driving range, this is my open gym, this is where I plan to get reps, test myself, and try new things. I’m going to shoot a few air balls and I will hit the occasional slice because this is practice and I intend to try different approaches that might not work.

As Mac Miller said in his song 2009, “You gotta jump in to swim.”

I’m not writing here to be perfect, or pen some groundbreaking article or story, I’m writing here to try a new creative outlet, have fun, and build confidence in my writing ability by jumping in and simply doing it. Above all else, I want this to feel authentic. You won't find any AI-written posts here, this will always be my voice.

There’s something about writing that feels analog in this era of ever-shortening attention spans and constant social media scrolling. It’s crazy to think that typing on this laptop is analog, but writing is one of the oldest forms of creative expression. Sure, the tools have changed from feather ink pens and scrolls all the way to google docs, but the concept of writing your thoughts is still the same. 

In this day and age where we can’t consume content fast enough, I want to go backwards and slow things down a bit. As I write this, I picture someone reading this blog much like my father used to read the physical newspaper when I was growing up—comfortably seated on the couch with legs crossed, sunlight shining through the windows into the living room, and the silky-smooth sounds of Van Morrison emanating from the stereo. That’s highly unlikely these days, but I can dream, right?

So, what is this blog about? Well, if the title is any indication, it’s going to be a mix of anything and everything. I simply plan to write about my interests and what inspires me. I’ll be writing about my upcoming travels, music I’m listening to, my passion for sports, cars, and anything in between. I have a trip planned to Sweden, Norway, Greece, and then on to South East Asia. I’ll be starting by documenting my journey and we’ll see where it goes from there.

I’m not doing this for an audience, or for a client, which is a freedom I haven’t experienced in quite some time. If even one other person aside from myself finds what I have to say interesting that would be cool, but selfishly, this is all about practice and creative freedom.

I’ve often been inspired by Logic’s lyric in Heard Em Say:  “f*ck the bullsh*t I’ma just write what I’m feelin.”

There’s something so liberating about that line that resonates with me, and this is my chance to do just that. 

If you’re reading this and made it this far, perhaps I’ve piqued your interest. Please don't hesitate to drop a comment, hit the like button and/or subscribe to the blog. I look forward to seeing you in the next post!

See ya when I see ya

-Doug