I’m not like those other year-end updates. I’m a cool year-end update.
Hello friends! It's been a while! You likely signed up for this after reading one of my essays on Medium, my personal website, or seeing something on Twitter. I send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of stuff I'm working on and thinking about — all ending with a sweet flag. See past issues here. Now, to the newsletter:
Above: I recently visited Greece. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, found on the Athens Acropolis, was built in 161 AD and is still in use today. A humbling reminder of building things that last. I sense a theme brewing...
My worldview heading into 2019 is different than it was heading into 2018 by an order of magnitude. And it’s the “year-end update” I’d like to share.
2018 for me, in many ways, was me processing the unexpected death of my dad in late 2017 at the age of 54. I know this sounds like it’s going to get dark, but this is quite the opposite, I swear!
In an essay about the death of his father, Craig Ferguson (yes, THAT Craig Ferguson) wrote: “I have been promoted from man in the middle to next up...I'm the adult. It's my turn at the wheel. I find this clarifying. Even reassuring.” I read that in 2006 and didn’t quite get what it meant. But I do now.
Losing something suddenly and the grief that comes after is, among other things, a focusing mechanism.
- Who knows who long we all have Phil, so I’m not wasting my precious seconds on your fantasy football league.
- We could all die tomorrow, Kyle, so I’m really not that worked up the news right now.
- I’ve also found it difficult to be anything more than annoyed with most negative events in my life. We’re all here and healthy. So, no big deal.
I’ve thought a lot about the people who have passed in my life and in others and what they've left behind. And it’s mostly relationships and creative works. That’s what fulfills me, as well. And that stuff takes time. As a result, I’ve come to appreciate the small, tedious, and often monotonous work it takes for lasting progress.
So when I look back at the year, I can tick off some things I'm proud of that happened (and I will!). But I’m most proud of beginning to set a lasting foundation. Of picking three things that matter and then thinking in terms of decades and not months. Here are those three things and some fun updates.
Focus 1 - I want to make my city a better place.
I’ve held the first ever Pilcrow House event, a new event series I’ve started in Philadelphia. (You can watch the video of event #1 with Scott Belsky, just posted here). My goal is to make a place in Philadelphia for important ideas. I wanted a project that would grow organically as it was explored. And I wanted that project to be anchored to location and a community. I do know that one day I'd like Pilcrow House to be a physical space that serves at the center for a community that enjoys candid conversations about ideas that matter. It will take a while to figure it out and if it will even work. But, that’s the point.
I think the future of Philadelphia is in becoming more of a cultural center. And the future of relationships is IRL. And the future of media is in small communities, built slowly with care. This is my attempt to do those things.
Oh, and the next event is on January 10 (tix here, and more on that below).
I started volunteering for a local political campaign. My city councilman is in hot water for shady land deals stifling neighborhood development. So I’m supporting the challenger Lauren Vidas with my time, helping with her online content roll out.
Focus 2 - I want to help make the internet a better place.
I’m entering month three as the Editorial Director for InVision. I’ll write something as more time passes but I’m working with the talented team here to rethinking their popular blog and build a wider content strategy across the org. If I get it right, my team and I would have a substantial impact on the design community. Which has a substantial impact on how we navigate and consume the internet.
The Discourse newsletter celebrated its year anniversary. My email newsletter about the way Americans talk to one another has crossed 1,600 subscribers a 45% open rate and lots of good conversation. I’m currently considering its next step. (Media friends: thoughts and opinions welcome!)
Focus 3 - I want to optimize for the long term and build things that grow slowly and last a lifetime.
I’m trying to resist the urge to grow fast with all of the above. I’m trying to enjoy the act of exploring and learning. Of making mistakes and completing each of these things at my own pace. This has been the most difficult part for me on a day-to-day basis, but has kept my energy levels and creativity high.
Travel. This year I was fortunate enough to travel for the first time to the Bahamas, Greece, Egypt, Atlanta, Dallas, Hershey (seriously!), Louisville, Mexico (x2), and Northern Ontario.
I purchased a home in South Philadelphia. The long, slow progress of creating a home to last decades has been more rewarding than I thought.
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So in 2019, I don’t wish you success. I wish you focus. I wish you the freedom to explore what matters to you financially and emotionally. And I wish you the joy that comes from knowing make yourself and a few people happy is truly enough.
Your life is not about productivity or milestones or accomplishments. It’s about realizing who you are and what you want and pursuing it slowly and without feeling the need to justify it to anyone. That makes it harder to explain yourself at a cocktail party. But it makes each day much, much better.
In 2018, I don’t feel old. But I feel older. In 2019, I feel lighter. As light as ever. And I wish for the same for you.
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Pilcrow House #2 with Taylor Lorenz.
For the next Pilcrow House event, I’m hosting Atlantic Staff Writer Taylor Lorenz on 1/10 in Fishtown, Philadelphia. Tickets available here for $15.
You may know Lorenz’s byline from her regular reporting about social media platforms, memes, and the way young people use the internet. She’s covered how influencers are faking sponsored content deals, how teens are bullied on platforms like Instagram, and how hotels are adjusting to wanna-be influencers. There will be games and gifs and fun. See you there?
Official newsletter flag (for now):
This is the flag of Dominica, a Caribbean island. It’s notable for one reason: it is the only country flag in the world that contains the color purple. A quick Google search will show that most countries avoided purple because the color was expensive to produce until recent history. But Dominica? Its flag was created in 1978, a satisfying metaphor for starting a bold new initiative, free of the previous constraints.
Dear reader, may your year be like the flag of Dominica: An adventurous new act in an uncertain sea.
- Sean