die empty
an impromptu 30-day writing challenge
I really love the phrase Die Empty. It’s so simple: two words, three syllables, a clear directive.
There’s a real sense of urgency to it. Not to out myself as one of those people, but it reminds me of Seneca and the Shortness of Life:
Time flows like a river with an unending current; no sooner has it begun than it is swept away, and no power can bring it back.
Just as a river cannot be made to flow backwards, so no day can return, no hour can be retrieved.
Life goes on, and we are carried away with it, unwilling and unaware.
We are born into a storm, not into calm waters. We drift, not sail.
And all the while, we imagine that we are in control.
There’s a danger in assuming there will be more time, more energy, a different, better moment than now to express what’s inside of you.
If I just rode the current of my life and suddenly the river ride was over, I would definitely have regrets.
I would regret not sharing more with the world. I would regret not coming out being seen as my whole self. I would regret playing small.
There’s so much that I’ve done and learned, which I’m proud of and want to share and release. And there are other creative seeds that wish to be planted and need a little more space and attention.
Die Empty is a mantra to just let it out already. There’s a whole book about it (by Todd Henry, it’s on my bookshelf). DJ Jazzy Jeff loves the phrase, too: “Don’t die with sh*t creatively inside. So however it needs to come out, get it out.”
Die Empty is the billboard on the dusty highway from my present self to my future self.
To pair this intention with an action: Die Empty is my writing prompt for the next 30 days.
From now through August 23, 2025 (Leo season, baby): How much can I give away if I post each day for 30 days? In this expression from internal to external, what can be transformed?
