The Hard Reset: What Cancer Taught Me About Creating in Public

The most personal post I’ve ever written - and the unexpected push I needed to start now.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to create in public.

The idea is simple: instead of polishing everything behind closed doors, I want to share the process - the experiments, the builds, the pivots, and the occasional crash landings - as I grow Creative Economist and run my creative agency, Momentous.

It’s part documentation, part therapy, and hopefully, part inspiration for anyone building something of their own.

And as it turns out, there’s no better time to start than when life decides to throw you a curveball.

About two months ago, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Last Friday, I had surgery to remove it.

I’m home now, healing, with a little more perspective (and one less… well, you get it).

Since I’m not cleared to lift anything heavier than my laptop, my version of “creating in public” right now looks like this - sitting in bed, writing.

If you’ve noticed an uptick in posts from me lately, now you know why.

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🎬 The Tom Green Connection

Back in the early 2000s, when I was a teenager glued to MTV, Tom Green was the first person I ever saw talk openly - and hilariously so - about testicular cancer.

He filmed his actual surgery for The Tom Green Show.

He made it human, awkward, funny, and real - which at the time, was revolutionary.

That weird, fearless transparency stuck with me.

It was maybe the first time I understood that media could normalize something scary by just… talking about it.

Fast-forward 20 years, and I had the chance to work with Tom when he guest-hosted Larry King Now.

He was kind, sharp, and exactly the same person you’d hope he’d be - hilarious and generous on and off camera.

At the time, I had no idea we’d end up sharing this common ground.

But when I got the diagnosis, I immediately thought of his old special - and it weirdly helped.

That’s when it hit me: the power of having a platform isn’t just to share what you make - it’s to make someone feel less alone.

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⚙️ The Creator Wake-Up Call

This whole experience has been an eye-opener in every sense.

It’s made me realize how much I’ve taken my health for granted — mentally, physically, creatively.

And it’s given me that gut-level clarity that only comes from having your world stop for a minute.

The big takeaway?
There’s no “later”.

There’s only right now - to start the projects, to launch the ideas, to take care of the body that lets you do all of it.

So this is me doing just that.

The Create In Public YouTube channel is something I’ve wanted to launch for a while - a behind-the-scenes look at building a creative business, running Momentous, growing Creative Economist, and staying human through it all.

I can’t film it yet. But I can write it.

And I will - every week, right here, until I’m back in the studio.

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💡 The Lesson

We spend so much time optimizing our workflows and growth strategies… but sometimes the most powerful reset comes from something that forces you to stop.

Getting sick didn’t make me more creative - it just reminded me why I create.

Because this stuff - the ideas, the storytelling, the connection - is what keeps us moving forward, even when life decides to throw a plot twist at us.

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🩺 A Quick PSA for the Guys

If you’re a man reading this: get checked.

Do the self-exam. Go to the doctor. Don’t put it off!

Testicular cancer is one of the most treatable cancers when caught early.

It’s uncomfortable to talk about - but that’s exactly why we should.

If me writing this makes even one person catch it sooner, it’s worth it.

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Thanks for reading - and for being here while I figure out what’s next.

This is the start of Create In Public.

It’s not the launch I planned… but maybe it’s the one I needed.

See you next time.

- Alex