Good read and I haven't done any individual resolutions for years cause don't see the point...
However the last few years our family have done 1 year rules, e.g. no international takeaways for a year, or no energy drinks for a year, this year it's only using keep cups for coffee and only ethical junk food/snacks (so no evil corps, no palm oil, slave labour etc) - it's nice because it means we're pretty much only having NZ made stuff and making us explore more 😊
Hi Josh. I enjoy your realistic take on self improvement and love your thoughts about art. Also love your watercolour in latest post. Great work. Looking forward to reading more of your musings whatever platform you end up on.
About 2 or 3 years ago my new year's resolution was "stop trying to lose weight" and I would definitely say that at the end of every year, I am in the "still pursuing" category. You'd think it would be an easy goal to stick to, but I'm 34 and female so it definitely ain't! But it was actually really nice to read that most of us end up falling into that category with our resolutions, rather than having "failed" at them.
I never make New Year’s resolutions & now I feel like I should make one... maybe that stat seeped into my brain at some point.
I’m sorry Substack has been disappointing in its response - they have deactivated some accounts & made noises about reporting tools: too little, too late?
This is a little inside baseball but I'll put my thoughts down here anyway. Fundamentally, yeah, very much too little and too late, but also - as a marketer with a fair bit of corporate PR experience watching all this play out - it has been a masterclass in how *not* to do corporate comms. The best corpcom response to the original revelation of bona-fide Nazis on the platform was "We're not going to allow this," purging the accounts, and reassurances to headline newsletter authors that their platform was safe. Instead they did the *opposite* and have consequently lost some of their biggest newsletters, with more to follow. For Substack, this is madness. It's not just one own-goal, it's dozens. Their reputation rests on their ability to function as a growth platform, recommendation system and friend to writers. Take that away and it's just another email platform - with sub-par features to boot, compared to their competition. Plus, they've been making lots of moves to create a walled garden. I've been noticing fewer email readers, proportionate to subscriber numbers and growth. Tellingly, there's a little checkbox when you're sending a newsletter that says "send via email and Substack app." What if I don't want to send via the app? Tough, says Substack. I'm already noticing that I'm receiving some of my favourite newsletters less often via email and have to boot up the app or the Substack website to see them. This, to borrow Cory Doctorow's famous term, is the beginning of enshittification. It's all fun and games and subscriber growth until the investors want their money, and then they'll start to squeeze. This, plus the moral dimension of sharing a platform that outright recommends and monetizes the work of Nazis, TERFs, and dedicated disinformation spreaders (my final Bad Newsletter will be about all that) adds up to give me zero faith in the leadership and future of the platform, and I want out.
Thanks for your transparency--my Substack reading bubble hasn’t exposed me to any of the nasty stuff so I’ve really only come across these issues through yourself & a few others writing about them (the joys of not being a particularly online person I guess?). I understand not wanting to perform at a nazi bar, and if it helps your newsletters are some of the only auto-reads on here for me (I’m sure you can guess the others) so I’m happy to read them on any platform.
How does 'doing' art work? Does 'doing' it every day make you better, or do you produce better art when you are moved/motivated to do so? I am envious of artistic types because I cannot. Well, not to my liking, so do not attempt, but admire greatly those who can. Much like singing, I think there are some who cannot, no matter how much they try. Does that matter? They be braver than I. Your seascape is outstanding.
Yea the water colour is awesome!
Good read and I haven't done any individual resolutions for years cause don't see the point...
However the last few years our family have done 1 year rules, e.g. no international takeaways for a year, or no energy drinks for a year, this year it's only using keep cups for coffee and only ethical junk food/snacks (so no evil corps, no palm oil, slave labour etc) - it's nice because it means we're pretty much only having NZ made stuff and making us explore more 😊
I like this idea - nice hybrid of challenging and achievable!
Haha yes! Sorry I should have said international owned. We def buy local Thai takeaway 😁
Great read and I like the watercolour.
Hi Josh. I enjoy your realistic take on self improvement and love your thoughts about art. Also love your watercolour in latest post. Great work. Looking forward to reading more of your musings whatever platform you end up on.
About 2 or 3 years ago my new year's resolution was "stop trying to lose weight" and I would definitely say that at the end of every year, I am in the "still pursuing" category. You'd think it would be an easy goal to stick to, but I'm 34 and female so it definitely ain't! But it was actually really nice to read that most of us end up falling into that category with our resolutions, rather than having "failed" at them.
Your watercolour is beautiful!
I love your art Josh. Perhaps you could sell us prints?
I never make New Year’s resolutions & now I feel like I should make one... maybe that stat seeped into my brain at some point.
I’m sorry Substack has been disappointing in its response - they have deactivated some accounts & made noises about reporting tools: too little, too late?
This is a little inside baseball but I'll put my thoughts down here anyway. Fundamentally, yeah, very much too little and too late, but also - as a marketer with a fair bit of corporate PR experience watching all this play out - it has been a masterclass in how *not* to do corporate comms. The best corpcom response to the original revelation of bona-fide Nazis on the platform was "We're not going to allow this," purging the accounts, and reassurances to headline newsletter authors that their platform was safe. Instead they did the *opposite* and have consequently lost some of their biggest newsletters, with more to follow. For Substack, this is madness. It's not just one own-goal, it's dozens. Their reputation rests on their ability to function as a growth platform, recommendation system and friend to writers. Take that away and it's just another email platform - with sub-par features to boot, compared to their competition. Plus, they've been making lots of moves to create a walled garden. I've been noticing fewer email readers, proportionate to subscriber numbers and growth. Tellingly, there's a little checkbox when you're sending a newsletter that says "send via email and Substack app." What if I don't want to send via the app? Tough, says Substack. I'm already noticing that I'm receiving some of my favourite newsletters less often via email and have to boot up the app or the Substack website to see them. This, to borrow Cory Doctorow's famous term, is the beginning of enshittification. It's all fun and games and subscriber growth until the investors want their money, and then they'll start to squeeze. This, plus the moral dimension of sharing a platform that outright recommends and monetizes the work of Nazis, TERFs, and dedicated disinformation spreaders (my final Bad Newsletter will be about all that) adds up to give me zero faith in the leadership and future of the platform, and I want out.
Thanks for your transparency--my Substack reading bubble hasn’t exposed me to any of the nasty stuff so I’ve really only come across these issues through yourself & a few others writing about them (the joys of not being a particularly online person I guess?). I understand not wanting to perform at a nazi bar, and if it helps your newsletters are some of the only auto-reads on here for me (I’m sure you can guess the others) so I’m happy to read them on any platform.
amazing watercolour painting! inspired
I liked your watercolor. And I especially liked this: "like an anarchist squatter commune of bad vibes". Lol, makes for a great visual!
How does 'doing' art work? Does 'doing' it every day make you better, or do you produce better art when you are moved/motivated to do so? I am envious of artistic types because I cannot. Well, not to my liking, so do not attempt, but admire greatly those who can. Much like singing, I think there are some who cannot, no matter how much they try. Does that matter? They be braver than I. Your seascape is outstanding.
Love the seascape! That’s some serious watercolour technique!