Ryan J. Pelton | Hints of Hope

Topic

Life Lessons

A collection of 12 issues

Antidote for Fear

Novelist and teacher Marilynne Robinson once said: “Fear is not a habit of the Christian mind.” A bold statement when most days our fragile minds and hearts are riddled with fear. We live in a culture predicated on fear because fear sells. You can get voted into office on a

Listening as Love

Listening is a rare happening among human beings. You cannot listen to the word another is speaking if you are preoccupied with your appearance or impressing the other, or if you are trying to decide what you are going to say when the other stops talking, or if you are

Two Lies Holding Us Back from Making Something Great

The two common lies holding us back are: 1. I’m too young. 2. I’m too old.I’m too youngWhen you’re young, it’s obvious experience is an essential commodity for life and art. You don’t know what you don’t know. Some things will be

You're Going to Die. Make Good Art.

We get 4000 weeks if we’re lucky (80 years). 28,000 days to live under the sun. I spent the day at a funeral. Our good friend’s grandfather passed and invited us to celebrate his life. A life well lived. Grandpa was deaf, and so was his wife.

A Rule of Life for Creativity

A rule of life is a practice for committing our lives to a particular way of being in the world. You could say intentional living at its best. What if we took this practice and applied it to our creativity? Photo by Brett Jordan on UnsplashWhen I say creativity, I’

Milwaukee Bucks Show Why Conventional Wisdom on Success Isn’t Always Right

Every creative person and anyone wanting success is always on the look for hacks. We study and examine high achievers and ask: How did they do it? What do they eat? When do they sleep? What books should I read for a little of their magic to rub off on

Attention is Rare, Pure, and Generous

The Christian mystic and philosopher Simone Weil said this about attention: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”Right outside my office door is a planter. And in this planter is a wild bush with beautiful greens and purples. I walk by this bush every day when I

Switches Versus Dials

In the new Paul McCartney documentary on Hulu, the former Beatle made an interesting observation. When recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, McCartney noticed a switch on the soundboard in the control room. The switch was flipped to “classical” or “pop” depending on the music being recorded. McCartney expressed

Lester Bangs on Contempt for Your Audience

The famous rock critic of the 60s and 70s Lester Bangs once said: “The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience. Those who indulge in it will ultimately reap the scorn of those they’ve dumped on whether they live forever like Andy Paleface Warhol or die

Lessons from Creem Magazine

In the late 60s, Barry Kramer started a Rock n Roll magazine. He named it Creem. A misspelled version of his favorite band, Cream. Kramer thought Rolling Stone magazine was named after a Dylan song (Like a Rolling Stone), why not do the same. Kramer, a hippie-businessman-entrepreneur, wanted to do