Hobbyist Academia #16
A personal observation: projects that are creative, intellectual, and collaborative feel deeply nourishing. It is important and worthwhile to pursue and spend time on that which feels nourishing.
Engage and Interact
Casper ter Kuile has announced a new project called The Nearness. Casper works at the intersection of community building and spirituality in modern times. The Nearness is an 8 week program including weekly interactive sessions in small groups as well as workshops. Every detail has been beautifully and thoughtfully designed.
The New Happy is a collection of science-backed media and resources about creating happiness. Whether you prefer to consume your content by reading or by listening, there’s an option for you here.
Read
Nat Eliason wrote a great piece called “Four Great Decisions per Year”- the essence is that our lives organically develop out of a small handful of decisions with outsized impact. These decisions build slowly over time until one day there is a clear direction to go and you just know. It’s a slow and patient approach to life that feels much more peaceful.
This essay from Griefbacon reflects on love, the Old Loves tumblr page, and what draws us to old photos of people in love.
This essay from the September 24th edition of The Slowdown is a cool conversation between the writer and an artist about compost as art.
Priya Parker wrote about the art of hybrid gathering in her September 30th email newsletter, and it is a must read with applications across work and your personal life. She has also released a guide to designing successful hybrid gatherings.
In The Markup on October 1st, Julia Angwin interviews Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin in “How Creators Are Squeezed by Big Tech”. If you enjoy considering media through a business and industry lens, you’ll enjoy this one.
I also enjoyed “Mindfulness Means Letting Things Surprise You” from Raptitude, which explores a philosophy for paying attention to your life in a way that perceives it as a series of sensory surprises.
Save This For Later
The books I’ve added to the To Read list lately cluster around topics of career growth, joy, and the future of society at an interpersonal level.
Consider adding these to your shelf:
Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It by Jon Clifton
Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century by J. Bradford DeLong
The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra
The Joy of Small Things by Hannah Jane Parkinson
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care by Rina Raphael
Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer
The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy by Anand Giridharadas
How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney
Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow
Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It by Richard V. Reeves
The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell
If you enjoyed this, The Collection is a perpetual work in progress on my website.
[I will receive a small commission should you purchase a book using the Bookshop links included in the newsletter. Bookshop is an Amazon-alternative online bookseller that supports independent bookstores in your local community.]