In video game culture there is a term associated with the time it takes to increase your characters skill or attain level progression or even acquire additional items. It’s called level grinding.

We all do it in video games, especially those who play RPGs or more recently, those who play social games which have a pay-to-win model.

Those who pay get to skip the grind and reap the benefits almost immediately. This mentality has led to some not-so-nice feedback from the gaming community and a rather crude nickname for that 2% who spend the most – whales.

I have this theory that the reason why people hate whales is because they cannot afford the same convenience of “skipping” the grind. But what they don’t realize is that often, the developers have set up a model that no matter how much you spend, the difficulty and challenge stays the same as you climb, thus the reason that demographic continues to exist – as they dump money into a social game, more opportunities and rewards crop up that warrant continued commitment.

Which is why perseverance is so valuable.

As you gain levels in life, you appreciate the commitment and recognize the patterns of it so that the grind becomes a natural element of your progression through life and not something to be feared.

Which is why today’s interview with David Wiens was going to be so fantastic. He serves as a shining example of the value of a creative player with perseverance locked down.

But I made a mistake.

You see, I promised I would share a new interview with you this Sunday, and that’s not really the case. What I really want to do is to give you a teaser of things to come in this month’s entry before the real thing. This is because I’m test driving some new lighting equipment and I want to get your feedback on the how things pan out visually.

Examples to follow:
 C

 B

 A

And thus we have arrived at A quality lighting. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what I did with the Paige Knickle preview a while back.

That’s why I am SO incredibly pumped to give you readers a test shot of episode 9 of timotheories interviews!

This month’s featured artist is a dedicated product photographer with a passion for perseverance and the commitment to follow through. Below is a clip from our interview!

I’m ridiculously excited to share this preview from the David Wiens interview and you will see the final result next week, but for now, enjoy our brief interlude and the rest of your Sunday. Maybe dig in and start building a new nightly ritual for rest and relaxation? Or read a good book?

I’m out of theories for now, dear readers! Have a fantastic night, and I’ll see you tomorrow with something to clap to.

Tim!