There’s no way to make this more palatable: friction is essential to creativity. That doesn’t stop us, of course, from trying to find a hundred ways around or away from it, but in the end, if we desire to create then we must face and feel the friction. All of it.

We must face our fears.
We must take a vulnerable step.
We must enter the unknown.

Our latest episode of The Resistance features acclaimed singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons, an artist who has learned the connective value from allowing friction to do its work. William is well known for his vulnerable, honest approach to the craft—sometimes painfully so—from his debut in 2006 to his latest album, Ready the Astronaut. William’s substantive songs are personal chronicles of heartbreak and hope, love and loss, doubt and despair.

On the eve of Ready the Astronaut’s release, we sat down with William to discuss his relationship with Resistance, how it’s changed in his 20 years as a songwriter, and whether it ever gets easier to stand still.

VISIT: William Fitzsimmons

Photo: Jim Vondruska Photography