“I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process – an integral function of the universe.”
-- R. Buckminster Fuller
July 2020 marks a year since I walked out of the doors of the big corporate office of my former job for the last time. Running on empty after five and a half years, I crash-landed into freelance life pretty hard. It felt like I had fallen on my face, not knowing how to use my hands to break the fall.
Six months in, at the start of this year, I was just getting into the swing of things. I had started getting some confidence from the work I was doing, was finding it easier to concentrate, and had even started going to the gym (the first time I had ever done a stint as long as three months). Spending less than 40 hours per week was giving me more time to read and find my way into little corners of the internet and I kept telling myself that I was getting closer to being able to write more. I was starting to figure out what a new way of working could look like.
But then… you know… a global pandemic hit and brought with it a bright spotlight to shine a light on the many complex systemic issues and injustices around the world. I think anyone who doesn’t think it’s all rather overwhelming is lying to you.
So taking a cue from this guy, I’ve been trying to get myself to put my nervous energy into a creative outlet, choosing words as my medium. It’s taken many months of procrastination, but I think I’m finally getting there.
What’s this all about?
Without spending too much time preemptively trying to tell you what it’s about before I even know myself, I thought I would share a few reasons why I want to start this newsletter:
I spend many hours a week reading, thinking, learning and listening. I’d like to spend more time creating something with that knowledge that I can share widely. Sharing it right into your inbox rather than trying to drive traffic to a website or blog seems easier for both you and me.
The more I learn and engage with others, the more I realise how unique my experiences have been. The older I get, the more I realise that is probably true of everyone - especially the curious amongst us, like you. I’m no doubt biased, but I think some of the ideas I have about how the world could be and how we can get there might be useful.
I'm fascinated by what it takes to build a community and how to stoke it so it continues to thrive and achieve its purpose. I'd like to figure that out together with my community in a space where I can be vulnerable.
So, without further ado, I welcome you to my newsletter: Our World, My Eyes.
(A small shoutout to Harryarts from Freepik for the colourful pattern banner I’ll be using.)
Also, newsletters are cool
I’m over social media. It might be that I just have more time for scrolling, but the addictive nature of newsfeeds of things I don’t really want to see has been fueling my anxiety for the last few months. I’m actively trying to spend less time on any of the platforms, and at first, I was really missing the discovery of new things. But then I discovered the joy of newsletters. They’re a great way of getting the good out of other people’s stories without the noise of trolls in comments. (You obviously need to do the work of critically thinking about who is feeding you information, but I think that’s generally pretty true of life.)
I thought I’d share a few of my favourites:
Maker Mind by Anne-Laure Le Cunff (UK): Anne-Laure’s newsletter is one of my highlights each week. Having just reached the landmark of 50 newsletter editions, she’s worked her way to a great formula of sharing some things she’s learnt about neuroscience, creativity, entrepreneurship or metacognition. I like her take on network building, that she’s not just emailing her readers, and not just asking for their feedback, but also trying to make connections between the readers who share common interests from around the world.
Creative Mornings (Global): In pre-COVID life, Creative Mornings was a monthly in-person breakfast talk in Cape Town. Every month, the Creative Mornings HQ would send out an email with a monthly theme (e.g. Honesty) and all the local chapters would host an event that spoke to the theme (e.g. having the founders of Honest Chocolate talk about their business). Their newsletters are great, and they share very good “fun things to click on”. Over the last four months, they’ve also adapted their events to virtual Field Trips.
Dense Discovery (AUS): If this newsletter was the only thing on the internet I had access to, I’d be happy. It's a relatively recent but from what I've seen from the last three - me likey. The author, Kai Brach, is a German guy living in Melbourne who curates a marvellous mix of practical and inspirational links at the intersection of tech, design and culture.
Like a Fucking Grownup (RSA/UK): Sam Beckbessinger is a wonderful human being and her writing is full of life. Keeping the lighthearted tone but very real and practical offerings of her book, How to Manage Your Money Like a Fucking Grownup, her newsletter comes out weekly and explores a range of topics related to adulting.
Poet-in-Residence by Leigh Stein (USA): Delivering some thoughts in a slightly different medium to most, Leigh Stein sends one poem per email every Tuesday and Thursday about something she’s experienced in her lockdown life.
Behavioural Scientist (USA): The weekly newsletter from this online magazine always leaves me with plenty of interesting articles to read about the research from the emerging field of behavioural science. It also recently treated me with this great reading list.
So those are my top six... out of about 25. I actively try to follow a range of different perspectives but I do acknowledge that most tend to be skewed towards WEIRD people (i.e those raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic.) I'm hoping to find more from South Africa/ Africa*, so if you know of any, send them my way! It's a gap I'm hoping to contribute towards, and I will do my best to share and amplify the creative projects of the Global South.
(*) I do already subscribe to HeavyChef and Unpacking Africa.
In my next few emails, I'll tell you a bit more about the work I do. I'll share some thoughts on the underrated topics of imagination, waste, hope and infrastructure. I'll tell you why I think mathematics and design are the fields of the future, and I'll share some of the lessons I've learnt from the really exceptional leadership training I received while working in corporate. I'll also tell you about the Christmas present I gave my parents last year.
If you would like to join me on this adventure and receive an update from me every few weeks (I'm aiming at three weeks), please subscribe below. In the meantime, tell your friends!
Thank you for such genuine vulnerability. I look forward to the next one.
Nice Zoe! Promising start - I'm looking forward to the rest :-)