2026 03 17

Reaching out to grow. Chicago, Illinois. January, 2026. © Clayton Hauck

Yesterday was a tough day in the sense that I became firmly aware that I am stretching myself too thin, doing too many things, without enough support being applied to the main branches of my life. It’s tough because I want to do so many things, and explore all of the ideas stewing in my brain, but I need to learn that it’s better to focus on a few of them at time to ensure I’m giving them enough support to stand on their own.

The catalyst for this feeling was Kevin Coval’s City So Real podcast, which I was a guest on. I was honored to be asked and mostly enjoyed the conversation, however, in typical me fashion was also left regretting much of what was said and not said. There were answers I wish I could revisit and topics I’d wanted to dive into but, as is often the case in the moment, were missed. It’s likely I’m over-thinking things and the conversations was fine, if not even good. But the anxiety I felt afterwards was real nonetheless. So real!

My lasting takeaway is that I need to improve my abilities to fluidly discuss topics I am choosing to focus my energies on. Learning to talk as an artist is as important (if not, realistically, even far more important) than making the art.

-Clayton