"The thing to do is always to keep starting to paint, never finishing painting.” Arshile Gorky

Despite thinking of New Year's Resolutions as hokey and knowing they nearly never work, I’ve resolved to write online in 2022. Every previous attempt I've made at synthesizing my thoughts and sharing them online has been hampered by a twin lack of focus and commitment. It’s no surprise that I’ve always accomplished exactly what I set out to do - that is, nothing in particular.

Actually, write more falls under a larger resolution I’ve made for the New Year that can be summed up as be less busy. Slightly counter-intuitive, I’ll admit. But the feeling of being busy can be really pernicious - having some of the characteristics of productivity with none of the results. As the calendar turns to 2022, finding spots to give less of myself so that I show up more fully in the parts of my life that matter most seems a worthy goal.

In practice, I hope that being less busy brings with it greater focus. And that with greater focus comes an economization of thought. And that I might write down and share some of those thoughts here.

So, why haven't I done this already?

What's been holding me back is the fear of being wrong or ridiculed. What will propel me forward this time is a constantly revisited understanding that being wrong necessarily comes before being right. And the best way to be right more often is to write, edit, share and repeat. That’s what I intend to do.

I’m wary of adding to a cacophony of opinions and voices online. What if nobody cares what I've got to say? What if my online voice, once found, turns out to be a whisper? I think I know where these doubts begin and where they end.

There’s a particularly virulent mind virus loose on Twitter and in tech circles that one must “find their tribe”. Our every effort must be dedicated to finding and “activating” a community of 10, then 100, then 1,000 like-minded folks. In practice, I imagine that looks something like this: hold an imagined court in rapture with Twitter threads summarizing Wikipedia articles, talk in circles on Twitter Spaces for hours on end, then monetize like hell. Or something like that.

I've got no intention to do the above. My online existence is much more about observation & education than it is about popularity & clout. My writing will be no different. Instead, I'll fill these pages with whatever my heart desires by focusing on going slowly rather than everywhere or all at once. Above all else, I'll put an emphasis on sharing before I'm ready, rather than pursuing perfection.

Inspired to start by the writings of Packy McCormick (Not Boring), Simon Sarris (The Map is Mostly Water) and Ava (bookbear express).

Inspired to continue by a desire to visit the past, reflect on the present, and step into the future.