Hey, welcome to this Q&A! Dan's sick with the flu, so I'm doing something.
Took some questions from Twitter. And I'm gonna answer some questions right now.
So hope you guys like it, it's fun. Hope it's fun!
Matt Watson asks: "Why do you so openly support the mining of blood diamonds across--" ok well that's--
ProJared asks: "What do you do on the days where everything in your brain/mental state says you do not want to do the recording session that day?"
Holy fuck
I imagine it's harder for people who have to do it alone.
I've learned that the hard way, having to do all this stuff alone.
But I have somebody that I'm recording with so at the very top of the list it's, "I don't want to let that person down."
You know, namely Dan, but i record with other people as well.
That's a huge motivational factor just because, in my brain
Letting somebody down is sort of like the worst thing ever, so
That's one of the things. Another thing is I just have to figure out what it is that's getting to me.
If I'm tired, you know, I'll do-- typically I'll do like a meditation or something.
You know, if I'm tired, if I'm unfocused, or if I'm, like, upset about something
I'll meditate on it for like, you know, 10 to 20 minutes, and that'll usually call me down and put me in a good place.
You know sometimes I'll--
I'll try to chat with people in the office to get into a better mood.
You know, just whatever--
Whatever I can, because it needs to be done. You know, we have a schedule to keep,
And we gotta do it. So, um,
We do what we can.
And sometimes like carrying that energy into the recording session isn't the worst thing
Because then it can create sort of like an interesting recording session, right?
Like we've have recording sessions where like we've been sick, or like, something happened in our lives and we just had to do it
And it sort of created, like, more introspective episodes or whatever.
And then maybe that's just how our format works, but, you know
Do what I can. I do whatever I can.
Bob Muyskens asks: "What is your approach/mindset when dealing with the negativity and vitriol of the comment section?
Even if you don't read it, as many do, does the negativity that you know is there weigh on you in any way?"
Well, sixty percent of the solution to that is that i don't engage in that much at all.
I've always-- well, not always.
I've recently considered it kind of, I don't know,
It's kinda narcissistic to, like, look up yourself and read about yourself constantly, whether it's good or bad. because it's just like
Because it's just, like
There's other stuff in the world that's interesting, and there's other people in the world that that are in your life
And you should focus on that and that'll probably
put you out of your head space of, like "What am I doing wrong?"
And that's the second thing, too, is-- the other 40% i think is that negativity sort of...
At least gets to me when it sort of taps into something that's going on with me.
For example, if somebody came to me and said, like, "You're ugly."
Like I wouldn't care 'cause I don't have that insecurity about myself. Like, it would just be kind of funny that they said that.
But if somebody came to me and said
something that really does get to me, that I really care-- that I think about myself...
Then I'm like, "Oh, that hurts."
Because it sort of reinforces this idea that, like, other people think what I think about myself which is negative.
So in order to deal with that, I think it just takes a lot of self care.
Because, like, if you read a comment and it gets to you, then try to figure out why it gets to you.
And usually it's because you think it about yourself. And then try to figure out why you think that about yourself.
And I think that'll probably help, to some degree.
That's how I deal with it, anyway. I'm always about, like
If something's wrong or negative in my life I try to figure out, how I can make it right.
Or better, or work on it, or something.
And, you know, and if it takes something like therapy or whatever, or something like that, like
Just, do it. It's not-- I've done it a million times.
But thanks, Bob. Oh, there's a follow-up question to that from Caffenated Inc
asks: "Along those lines, I'd also be interested to hear your approach on things like meditation and mindfulness.
You've touched on the topic before, and I'd love to hear more of your thoughts."
So, I practice several forms of meditation.
The three main ones are a form of Buddhist meditation,
transcendental meditation, and what's called a quadrinity meditation.
So like, Buddhist meditation is about mindfulness, so like, it's like
Paying attention to the breath that's coming in and out of your nose and your mouth.
Or paying attention to, like, you know, how your body feels as it's sitting where it is.
And that sort of puts mindfulness first, right? Like you're not-- you're trying to get out of your head.
The other one I do is transcendental meditation
Which is like focusing on a point or a word. And that has to do with, like, helping with concentration.
And then the third one is the quadrinity meditation, which is like being in touch with the different parts of you.
like your intellect or your emotions or your body.
And that sort of allows me to, like, figure things out more.
Typically if something's, like bothering me, or if I'm, like, in a bad mood
Then it's like, "Okay, why?" And then I just ask the various aspects of myself.
And they usually give me an answer.
You know, it's interesting how much you know about yourself intrinsically that, uh
that you can find out from yourself if you just ask the right questions.
So yeah, the quadrinity thing is from-- I mentioned before, on the solo Megaman X episodes-- is from this
Hoffman therapy that I did, which is super-- was a huge part of my life, so
Highly recommend it.
Dodger asks-- Hey, Dodger--
"Projects younger you wanted to make, but you know you'll never ever make them."
That's tough 'cause...
I feel like I'm capable of doing anything.
And I don't want that to come off as like snarky or like...
like, haughty, but like, also...
Like, well, the thing that comes to mind the quickest is, um,
I wanted to make like a theme park when I was a lot younger
And I don't know that that's, like, not in the c-- like, why wouldn't I be able to-- somebody made a theme park, like
A bunch of people just made a theme park, so why can't I make a theme park?
You know, it would be hard, but I think it's still possible.
Would I? I don't know.
Typically when it comes to creative stuff, I just, I go with the flow of what I'm feeling in the moment, so
If I just got real fired up about making a theme park, I would just do it.
Or I'd figure out how to do it, and then i'd do it.
I'm trying to think if there's anything, like, that's like shifted in terms of what I want.
So I know I'll never make it.
I really wanted-- I wanted to make like a nightclub, that was like this, like, 50's jazz club.
And then there would be like a murder mystery every night.
That was something I was really-- There was like actors every night.
And so you would go and you would just go, like, to a jazz club, listen to music.
And you would like chat with these actors that, like, maybe you did or didn't know were actors, right?
And then somebody got murdered at the establishment, and there was sort of like a lock-in.
And then for the next, I don't know, hour or so, people-- you would have to sort of help them figure out who was murdered.
And then like stuff would happen, like, little moments would happen throughout the night with the actors, like
Someone would get into an argument, or-- and you could sort of mentally piece it together but also you were helping the establishment
figure out who was murdered.
And it would sort of be different every night.
So if you came back multiple nights, you know, you wouldn't have the same exact experience.
That was something that I was really fired up about making, and it's not so much that I--
It's not so much that I know I'll never make it, because maybe I'll get re-excited about it someday.
But, um, it's sort of not something I'm super interested in making right now.
So that's that's one of the things.
Thanks, Dodger.
Mr. Chambers asks: "Do you find it overwhelming to juggle all the contacts and projects you have?
Do you find enough time for yourself, and is it ever exhausting meeting new people all the time?
Yes, to all of those things.
It is hard to find time for myself, it is exhausting meeting new people all the time and it is overwhelming to juggle all the contacts and projects I have.
I had to hire an assistant in order to help me keep track of my schedule because
Things were falling to the wayside too often, I was forgetting too many things
I was missing too many things, and I was starting to piss people off, so I had to get somebody to help me with that.
Before I had a, uh...
I kept this schedule called "Getting Things Done."
It was a method that, uh...
It was a method that was, um...
formulated-- It's a book you can get called "Getting Things Done."
It's all about, like, putting actionable steps-- and that was actually helping me pretty well
But that was very shortly before I got a personal assistant, so
That was a, that was a huge help, while it can-- what while it was.
Juggling all the contacts and projects I have is is tough.
Particularly contacts, because I know a lot of people, and I like a lot of people. I like people.
And I especially like helping people, and I like giving people the time.
And I don't have a lot of time to give, so I think part of why
Game Grumps exists in the way that it does, like, with an office and people working out of here every day
is because now I get to spend time with everybody
I get to come in and check out their projects and give some insight and help and listen and,
You know, hopefully inspire a little bit.
But, uh, so that's my, sort of, solution to that. It is difficult to keep track of contacts and stuff.
I don't make enough time for myself. I should.
I think everybody should.
I have, I have been a little bit recently just because it sort of came to a head.
And I had, like, a depressive episode where I think I was overworking
And I didn't-- my brain didn't understand how to, like, recalibrate to relaxation mode, so it just got super depressed that I wasn't working.
So I just had to chill for a while and not worry about anything, and that sort of helped a little bit.
"Is it ever exhausting meeting new people?" Yes, for the same reasons that I, uh...
I like giving people time.
And so when I meet people, I give them a lot of time, and I think maybe that gives people the wrong impression about--
That I'm able to give them time after I've met them
As much as i would love to, it is-- it is hard to sort of make time for people.
But I love doing it. And I love seeing people and meeting up with people. It's one of my favorite things.
it's just tough with all this stuff scheduled. I think 2018 is gonna be a little more laid-back for me.
So I'll probably make more time for myself and other people to just be friends, and cool.
Anyway thanks for listening to this Q&A.
I appreciate you guys understanding that the content's a little different right now because Dan had the flu when we were supposed to record.
But I try to do something interesting and insightful.
So tune in for the next one.
Appreciate it, guys. Thank you.
