edition 1.
I turned 26 last month. We were in Cannon Beach for my birthday and it was the most magical time. It rained all day (I love the rain), so we drove up to an overlook with a view of the ocean and sat in the car watching the waves and reading. It was everything I wanted. The ocean + the sound of the rain + books.
I like to set intentions going into any kind of travel. For this trip, I had a singular intention: to be present and allow myself to have as much fun as possible, while resisting the urge to pull out my phone from time to time (except to take a couple of pictures). As a result, I spent almost all of my time for those few days off of my phone. Whenever I did find myself scrolling on Instagram, a voice in my head would remind me of the intention to stay present, making it relatively easy to put the device down. It turned out to be one of the best trips ever, and because I didn’t subject myself to the mental chatter of social media, I have numerous vivid memories of happy moments from that time.
So, on our last day in Oregon, I decided to delete Instagram. While I don’t spend too much time on Instagram in the first place, it is the app that I find to be the most distracting (I don’t have tik tok). I loved having a quieter mind and the ease of going through your day without having the urge to scroll through someone else’s. I wanted to give that to myself even after we got home.
The one thing I’ve noticed post-deleting Instagram is how much more grounded I feel in a given moment. There used to be a kind of buzzing (I think that’s the best way to describe it) in my mind, the kind that comes from digital stimulation or even the knowledge of access to that stimulation. It’s still there, probably from the other apps that make up my screen time, however it’s no longer loud and distracting. The inability to access the app also gave me the energy and focus I needed for other projects and hobbies. I definitely don’t see myself downloading it back anytime soon.
read/reading: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
I’ve seen this book everywhere over the past few years and never bought it because I didn’t consider myself a creative. The idea of buying it felt like pretending to be someone I’m not, as if I was stealing from real artists. It sounds crazy now that I’m writing it, but it was a story I believed. I’ve since learned that the stories you tell yourself about your identity might be the very things stopping you from reaching your potential. I’ve also learned that creating for yourself doesn’t make it any less of a creative act.
I’ve been writing and journaling for at least 13 years now and it feels good to have finally given myself permission to call myself a creative. So I decided to gift it to myself on my 26th birthday and it’s been wonderful.
learning:
This year I (finally) decided to start learning about web3 and crypto networks, and I’m glad I started now given the recent stablecoin bill.
I’m slowly making my way through the second edition of Token Economy by Shermin Voshmgir. So far, it’s been incredibly educational and a great starting point for someone who is new to the field. I love how she covers a wide range of topics without compromising on the depth of the subject, all while providing context for the big picture and potential market disruption in various industries. I especially enjoyed learning about crypto-economics - a new field of science sparked by the advent of blockchain.
The author very kindly sent me a physical copy of the third edition, which came out 2 months ago!
It’s also available for free on GitHub.
making: this newsletter!
If you’re reading this, it means I finally hit publish! I’m excited to keep sharing with you, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this first edition :)
making my Sundays better <3
Thoroughly enjoyed!! Can’t wait for more of these ❤️❤️