Every two weeks, I sit down to curate my newsletter—it’s a mix of ideas, recommendations, and little sparks of inspiration that I hope will brighten your day. It’s also one of my favorite rituals, a mix of poking around, mulling things over, and tossing it out into the world.
Life is full of things that can be inspiring if you only look closely enough. I can get inspiration from anywhere, and I love to share what I’m genuinely obsessed with — the things that are lighting me up right now.
It’s the kind of stuff that pulls me in for hours—the articles I can’t stop reading, the videos I get completely lost in, the weird little corners of the internet I suddenly need to understand inside and out. Basically the kind of stuff that keeps me up way too late just because I’m curious and can’t let it go.
I regularly get messages from people I haven’t met that start with, “I think your readers would be interested in…” First off, thank you — I really do appreciate the time and effort it takes to reach out and share something you think might be valuable. That said, my newsletter is crafted a little differently.
While the pieces that end up in the newsletter are things I think my readers will find interesting too, I prefer to share things that I like first. Instead of sending things I think my readers might find interesting, I write something that I actually want to read myself.
Even though this might seem like a small difference, it matters. I could easily fill a newsletter with stuff I think people would like, stuff that would get clicks or higher open rates. However, that is not what I set out to do in my newsletter or here on my blog.
Instead, I’ve always led with what I find interesting or helpful, and I figure if I write about it well enough, the people who’ll enjoy my work will find it interesting too. I admit that I’ve occasionally made a few quirky and odd recommendations. But I just really enjoy fun facts, and a lot of my random thoughts seem to pop up when I’m in the bathroom.
When I send out the newsletter every two weeks, I do not rush to put everything together at the last minute. Instead, I gather ideas throughout the week—something I read, a conversation that sticks with me, a quote that makes me pause. Some weeks, it’s a book that keeps me thinking long after I’ve put it down; other times, it’s something my friend would tell me during a conversation that would cause a small shift in the way I approach my work.
Then I jot all of these ideas down in a running list (on my phone, in my notebook, or whatever else that’s within reach). By the time I sit down to write, I have a mix of thoughts, links, and insights waiting for me.
From there, it’s about shaping these vague ideas into something meaningful and easy to digest. Whatever feels most relevant in the moment will often make it into the newsletter. When I get bored of the newsletters I put out, I turn it upside down and start all over.
So I tend to keep things simple — staying open to whatever comes my way and usually just trusting my gut. It could be anything, really—but I do it this way because I trust that if something resonates deeply with me, there’s a good chance others will feel the same.
I’ve taken this rule of thumb to heart, mainly because I think in the arts we put too much emphasis on the idea that we can know what other people will like. People don’t really know what they love until they find it. I’ve seen that in my own life so many times. For example, I never imagined I’d want an iPad — I already had a phone and a laptop that did the job — but the device ended up being surprisingly useful. I also never knew I’d love French rap until I discovered it.
But creating something new based on what others will love is always rooted in what’s already been made. When we try to predict it, we usually look backward — copying what’s already worked instead of creating something new. But taste is often unpredictable, ever-changing, and often revealed in the moment. Real connection comes from authenticity, not calculation. People resonate more with what feels honest than what tries to please.
In other words, I think genuine excitement and passion are contagious. It’ll travel and is passed on to even more people. When you’re truly excited, it spreads, and it keeps finding corners of the world you didn’t expect.
So I tend to gravitate towards newsletters that feel genuine and aren’t overwhelming. The ones that lean into depth and make you think, but still manage to keep things light. I need a break from the serious every now and then, and playfulness is just as important to me.
Above all, I want the newsletter to feel like a conversation. Not just a bunch of links or a roundup of things I’ve seen, but a curated experience by a real human being. Basically an invitation into my world, sometimes messy, sometimes joyful, sometimes slower and reflective.
So that’s how this labour of love comes together. I don’t have an assistant—it’s just me and my little notebook. I set aside an hour (or two) every two weeks to work on it. I’m able to do this week after week because of three things:
- A set time and a clean format of 10 favorite things.
- A place to drop all the cool, weird, thought-provoking stuff I come across during the week.
- Sending out a newsletter I’d actually want read.
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