I’ll share why in the “what I’m working on” section of this post, but it was a big week for me!  So often in creative work, when you pass a huge milestone or complete a marathon task, there isn’t any fanfare.  You just turn in the work, mail it to the client, press the submit button, and it’s done.  There’s no bell to ring or a team gathering for a celebration after work.  You just do it and then move on to the next thing.

Over the years, Jeff and I have tried to make a point of celebrating the milestones and victories along the way, but they do sometimes fall through the cracks of busy days.

Here are my four things for the week – More of the same, the last overland, when the spirit moves, and crossing a bridge.

what I’m reading

I am still bouncing between the history of Paper and the Van Gogh biography.

what I’m watching

As I’ve shared before, I love shows that follow an adventure.  It’s a way to see more of the world, more cultures, and to be inspired by those who leave creature comforts behind to explore.  We stumbled across a fun little documentary on Amazon Prime and have been watching it this week – The Last Overland.

It’s a four-part series that follows a group on a driving excursion from Singapore to London.  The why is what makes it even more compelling. They are following in the tire tracks (as closely as possible) of a group of Cambridge and Oxford students who drove from London to Singapore in 1955, and filmed along the way.  You can find some of the videos from that first overland adventure on YouTube HERE.

In addition to making the same journey, the modern group was driving one of the Land Rover vehicles that made the first trip.  It was found in shambles and restored.  An original member of the trip, now in his 80s, was also going to make the drive.  (He had to bow out due to health reasons, and his grandson joined instead.)

I have thoroughly enjoyed following the journey, seeing countries I had never even heard of (Turkmenistan being one), and seeing how the members tried to honor the original group’s achievement, which was pretty incredible for the time, given that some of the countries they traversed didn’t even have roads.  It was also interesting to see how the world has changed in the last 30 years.  Countries that were off-limits to the 1955 group due to the Iron Curtain were now open.  Countries that were open, like Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, were now off-limits.

If you enjoy following along with an adventure, it’s a good one to watch.

what I’m loving

“I write when the spirit moves me, and the spirit moves me every day.”  – William Faulkner, author.

what I’m working on

I did my final manuscript review ofmy next book, Move Slow & Make Things, this week!  Now, my part of writing, photographing, and editing the book is over.  After almost two years of work, I’ve crossed that bridge.

I’m now getting deeper into the marketing and promotion aspect of being an author, so there is still more work to do.  That’s what I’ll be diving into next.

The book doesn’t come out until September, but you can preorder it HERE.

What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?