Hello!
A day late! Sorry.
I’m expanding and renaming these Sunday posts to “The Sunday Finds”, a variation on “The Sunday Times” of course. Rather than just articles, essays, etc… I’m including Podcasts, a fun word/description, and any other interesting content, the medium of which is not important.
Reads
I got this one from David Perrell’s last weekly newsletter (Shush!), but was so interesting I had to include it here. Terence McKenna first theorized this idea in his 1992 book Food of the Gods, where he claims that modern humans (Homo Sapiens) evolved from Homo Erectus through eating Psilocybin mushrooms. He “attributes much of the mental strides made by humans during the cognitive revolution to the effects of psilocybin intake.” Very interesting theory!
Inking and Thinking, by Robert Mankoff
Great short read on the importance of thinking before writing. If you just sit down to write, you’re required to come up ideas and narrative or structure on-the-spot. Thinking about what you’d like to get across first is a necessary step in crystalizing your thinking, although that comes with writing as well. Good read on why it matters to include ‘thinking before inking’ when creating in any form.
The Nature of the Fun, by David Foster Wallace
Fun essay on writing fiction, by the deeply admired late David Foster Wallace. It’s on, as he says, “You love your infant very much (your writing). And you want others to love it, too, when the time finally comes for the damaged infant to go out and face the world.” I wrote about this in my last essay “Hitting publish is hard” Recommended.
Why Everyone Feels Like They’re faking it, by Leslie Jamison
Imposter syndrome is real and common, myself included. In reality, I think we all fake it until we make it. Learning on the job, just as I’m learning to write publicly. ”They wrote that women in their sample were particularly prone to “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness,” living in perpetual fear that “some significant person will discover that they are indeed intellectual impostors.” This is not only prevalent in women, as I, myself am a man and am experiencing it myself.
Going through the motions, by Austin Kleon
“If we just start going through the motions, if we strum a guitar, or shuffle sticky notes around a conference table, or start kneading clay, the motion kickstarts our brain into thinking.” A good piece on just getting started; writers block doesn’t existent. A truck drive doesn’t have truck-driving block, nor do any other vocations.
Podcasts
Amanda Ripley - Stepping out of “the zombie dance” we’re in, and into “good conflict” that is, in fact, life-giving. On Being with Krista Tippett. Outstanding listen. One part by Amanda particularly resonated: why aren’t we (mostly politicians) 100% focused on building an establishing trust with each other? Nothing of substance can be gained without first trusting each other, yet that’s not currently happing on any level? Highly recommend.
Reese Witherspoon on turning Imposter Syndrome into confidence. ReThinking by Adam Grant. Interestingly, she had an incident where she was pulled over for drunk driving and said “Don’t you know who I am?” - a common response from people well-known, their ego getting in the way. The interview, however, shows an entirely other side to her, which I enjoyed. Good listen.
Word of the Week
Ingratiate: To work very hard to gain someone’s favor, most likely with an eye toward receiving something in return at a future date.
“Paul tried to INGRATIATE himself with his fiancee’s stern parents.”
It goes without saying that I’d love to gain your favor as a reader, although I don’t expect anything in return - except you time and attention, and possible a comment, share, or like. :) None of which is required, of course.
All the best,
Please consider adding a new band or song that you've recently discovered in your Sunday Finds!