I started this publication hoping there were more people out there like me who see the connections between the arts, history, and the current moment. I find myself scratching my head every time there is a culture war dust-up or online controversy that I know would be a lot less divisive if people just knew the historical context. Personally, I’m starting to worry I look like this to the rest of the world:
That’s why I want to know who YOU are. Please respond to this email or comment in the open thread on any or all of the following:
Who are you, where are you from, and what are your hobbies and passions?
What made you follow MY Substack publication?
What’s your favorite read on Substack currently? (Totally looking for recommendations here!)
Hi Kathleen, nice idea for a conversation starter! I'm a former small company executive who decided to step out of the rat race and focus on writing and thinking (and, like you, seeing the connections in the world, though I look in different places). I'm from Snohomish, Washington, where I walk incessantly, bake, occasionally drive my car on a race track, and now write a regular Substack newsletter. I guess I'm passionate about curiosity and the application of attention to one's circumstances as the path to serenity.
I don't recall precisely where I got tipped to your Substack--it seems likely I stumbled upon it from another Substack. Current favorites: Erik Hoel's The Intrinsic Perspective, George Saunder's Story Club, and Tom Watson's Newsletter.
Hey, Tom! My mom spent a bit of her life up in Washington and my brother lives close to Seattle. It's a gorgeous part of the world. I can relate to wanting to step out of the intensity of the work world. I used to be a (more than) full-time social media manager, and it was really just too much for me. What are some of the big connections you see in the world?
I'll have to check out the rest of those, but I just subscribed to Story Club! I'm excited to dig into it!
I hope you like Story Club--I’d advise starting from the beginning if you can, to really get what Saunders is up to. One could take this as a webinar and do tons of work on it--which I don’t do. But it’s really influenced my thinking about writing. As for the big connections--that’s a heck of a question but I’ll just say that I think a lot of us are driving ourselves mad trying to pay attention to everything, and it threatens to drive us a little mad. Getting ourselves to step back and think about where and how we want to apply our attention seems to me like a crucial project that can have wide-ranging benefits. I realize that sounds awfully vague!
Hi! I came from a very artsy family; we would talk about movies, music (of all types) and paintings with regularity, and several of my siblings are still involved in the arts in some way or other. I'm currently working on music and poetry here and there, while also writing about art and aesthetics from a more-or-less Christian perspective. I share your fascination with how art interacts with the broader culture. I think I also found you via office hours on Substack. I read about thirty or so newsletters; some favorites are Ryan Broderick's Garbage Day ("having fun on the internet") and Duncan Reyburn's Eucatastophologist.
Hey! You like music—what instruments do you play? I'm happy to know that there are more people who share this fascination than just me! Have you had any interesting insights recently? I just started reading Garbage Day—it's great!
In the past, I've worked mostly with industrial / noise styles of music, and I've played just about everything in improvisations with friends (guitars, all kinds of keyboards, trumpet, violin, screaming, power tools), but now, it's either piano, or beat-and sample-based music. If you're so inclined, you can hear some on my SoundCloud page. https://soundcloud.com/r_ubidium
My best insight lately has been that the arts are a better vehicle than politics for cultural change. It was Percy Shelley who said that "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" - of course that can be extended to all kinds of artists.
Hi, I'm also a Substacker who's a project manager by day. I like lots of bits about pop culture but I'm also interested in writing, cognition, knowledge management, etc. All of the controversies around COVID-19 have been factors in my interest. think I found you via Substack Office hours and I'm a new subscriber . I'm enjoying The Bus for its variety of topics. Good luck!
We did find each other via office hours! Thanks for letting me know what sparked your interest. The controversies and poor management in the public health sector (among many other things) have also been a concern for me and part of the reason I wanted to start writing.
I hadn't heard of The Bus, but looking at it, I think I might like it!
Hello! I can't remember where I saw you—I think it may have been Freddie deBoer or Peter Boghossian's Substack? Anyway, I looked around and enjoyed what you wrote, so I thought I would follow! I think too much for my own good, so your work was right up my alley. 😅
1. Oh I love [redacted] around this time of year! How's the weather? I like writing, reading, not running and I've never been much into games.
I haven't read it, but I heard him talking about it this week on Bari Weiss' podcast. It sounded interesting. Are you talking about education in particular? That's become more of a recent concern for me. I recently struck out on my own, professionally, but in my previous life, I began to notice a massive dip in quality of education (both in primary and secondary schools as well as college-level education.)
I'm only part way through that article, but you laid out a lot of ethical issues I had never considered. I think one of the hard things we need to grapple with as a society is what purpose we need universities to fulfill. It's very clear for someone who goes to a trade school to become a plumber what their purpose for the world at large. But for so many people who are so highly educated, going to college doesn't give you as much of a purpose as much as it claims.
I could probably write a loooooooong yarn about this, but I have a lot of ideas of how I would personally change about the way we tackle education. I think we approach it like we're trying to manufacture perfectly uniform citizens when we should really be figuring out ways to pull out and develop people's strengths. (If that makes any sense).
Hi Kathleen, nice idea for a conversation starter! I'm a former small company executive who decided to step out of the rat race and focus on writing and thinking (and, like you, seeing the connections in the world, though I look in different places). I'm from Snohomish, Washington, where I walk incessantly, bake, occasionally drive my car on a race track, and now write a regular Substack newsletter. I guess I'm passionate about curiosity and the application of attention to one's circumstances as the path to serenity.
I don't recall precisely where I got tipped to your Substack--it seems likely I stumbled upon it from another Substack. Current favorites: Erik Hoel's The Intrinsic Perspective, George Saunder's Story Club, and Tom Watson's Newsletter.
Hey, Tom! My mom spent a bit of her life up in Washington and my brother lives close to Seattle. It's a gorgeous part of the world. I can relate to wanting to step out of the intensity of the work world. I used to be a (more than) full-time social media manager, and it was really just too much for me. What are some of the big connections you see in the world?
I'll have to check out the rest of those, but I just subscribed to Story Club! I'm excited to dig into it!
I hope you like Story Club--I’d advise starting from the beginning if you can, to really get what Saunders is up to. One could take this as a webinar and do tons of work on it--which I don’t do. But it’s really influenced my thinking about writing. As for the big connections--that’s a heck of a question but I’ll just say that I think a lot of us are driving ourselves mad trying to pay attention to everything, and it threatens to drive us a little mad. Getting ourselves to step back and think about where and how we want to apply our attention seems to me like a crucial project that can have wide-ranging benefits. I realize that sounds awfully vague!
Hi! I came from a very artsy family; we would talk about movies, music (of all types) and paintings with regularity, and several of my siblings are still involved in the arts in some way or other. I'm currently working on music and poetry here and there, while also writing about art and aesthetics from a more-or-less Christian perspective. I share your fascination with how art interacts with the broader culture. I think I also found you via office hours on Substack. I read about thirty or so newsletters; some favorites are Ryan Broderick's Garbage Day ("having fun on the internet") and Duncan Reyburn's Eucatastophologist.
Hey! You like music—what instruments do you play? I'm happy to know that there are more people who share this fascination than just me! Have you had any interesting insights recently? I just started reading Garbage Day—it's great!
In the past, I've worked mostly with industrial / noise styles of music, and I've played just about everything in improvisations with friends (guitars, all kinds of keyboards, trumpet, violin, screaming, power tools), but now, it's either piano, or beat-and sample-based music. If you're so inclined, you can hear some on my SoundCloud page. https://soundcloud.com/r_ubidium
My best insight lately has been that the arts are a better vehicle than politics for cultural change. It was Percy Shelley who said that "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" - of course that can be extended to all kinds of artists.
Hi, I'm also a Substacker who's a project manager by day. I like lots of bits about pop culture but I'm also interested in writing, cognition, knowledge management, etc. All of the controversies around COVID-19 have been factors in my interest. think I found you via Substack Office hours and I'm a new subscriber . I'm enjoying The Bus for its variety of topics. Good luck!
We did find each other via office hours! Thanks for letting me know what sparked your interest. The controversies and poor management in the public health sector (among many other things) have also been a concern for me and part of the reason I wanted to start writing.
I hadn't heard of The Bus, but looking at it, I think I might like it!
Call me Phisto. Plain, simple Phisto.
As far as who or what I am, please see the following: https://phistosobanii.substack.com/p/whats-a-phisto?utm_source=%2Fprofile%2F25059567-phisto-sobanii&utm_medium=reader2
Hello! I can't remember where I saw you—I think it may have been Freddie deBoer or Peter Boghossian's Substack? Anyway, I looked around and enjoyed what you wrote, so I thought I would follow! I think too much for my own good, so your work was right up my alley. 😅
1. Oh I love [redacted] around this time of year! How's the weather? I like writing, reading, not running and I've never been much into games.
2. Much obliged! 🎩
3. I'll check it out! :) Thanks for following.
I haven't read it, but I heard him talking about it this week on Bari Weiss' podcast. It sounded interesting. Are you talking about education in particular? That's become more of a recent concern for me. I recently struck out on my own, professionally, but in my previous life, I began to notice a massive dip in quality of education (both in primary and secondary schools as well as college-level education.)
I recently lost my job. (https://thecharrette.substack.com/p/between-ballet-and-social-media) Instead of going out and getting another job, I decided to freelance and start my own business.
I'm only part way through that article, but you laid out a lot of ethical issues I had never considered. I think one of the hard things we need to grapple with as a society is what purpose we need universities to fulfill. It's very clear for someone who goes to a trade school to become a plumber what their purpose for the world at large. But for so many people who are so highly educated, going to college doesn't give you as much of a purpose as much as it claims.
I could probably write a loooooooong yarn about this, but I have a lot of ideas of how I would personally change about the way we tackle education. I think we approach it like we're trying to manufacture perfectly uniform citizens when we should really be figuring out ways to pull out and develop people's strengths. (If that makes any sense).