The water boils. 8 scoops of fresh Lavazza Gran Aroma are pouring into my Bodum french press. Pour the water. Steep for 4 minutes. Stir. Press. Pour. And the magic making begins. Post morning routine, this is how the art starts to flow in the studio.

I have a love/hate relationship with routines. There’s a lot of trial and error to a routine. Tweak this, add a bit of that. But once you’ve found your recipe for your routine, as my buddy George Delancey reminds me often, “Don’t F*** with it for anyone.” Sounds simple enough, right? Routines are (theoretically) designed for maximum efficiency so that you can put as little brain power into your morning tasks, and the like, meanwhile focusing and creating larger tasks at hand. The unknown of the day.

Me, I love to tweak. As humans we spend an eternity looking for weaknesses in the system or in my case the system of Art. But there comes a time when we must trust and have faith. Trust that the coffee will be delicious. That the photoshoot will go smoothly…that we’ll get the shot. That the skills of the past 20+ years of photos and art will lend itself to the next greatest image. Faith that the best is yet to come.

Heed the words of George… Don’t F*** with it. Use your gut. Run on instinct. Imbibe the Ritual.