8:59am
On my way from school to a coffee shop, I finished listening to this discussion with Yancey. I highly recommend it. They touched upon so many topics closed to heart. The overall thing questioning the idea of a 'long lasting cultural impact'.
It's also a proper ode to magazines:
- you're entering a universe that's only there
- convey a feeling, a point of view
- it's an opportunity for meaning-making
11:29am
I'm back to school to pick up the kiddos. They only have half a day of school on Wednesdays. Like usual, it's mostly moms around. There is a trend here by the way. Early mornings, when I drop the kids around 8:30am, it's mostly dads. Then when it's time to pick them up at 4:30pm [or 11:30am on Wed.], it's 80% moms. For a few weeks I do both. So the other moms mostly see me, and start asking questions. And I have to admit I'm pretty proud to say Mat is working; adding that she's in Paris these days. Then I inherit the look saying 'wow solo-dad at home with both the kids, good luck'.
Truth be told, I was telling a mom how happy I am to show my kids that yes, their father is at home taking care of them these days cause mommy had to go to Paris for work. Which seems even more important to me considering we have 2 sons. No need to tell them anything then, you just show. I realise that only a few generations ago, most kids didn't see anything else than their mom in the kitchen, dad at work.
2:59pm
I went through a very interesting post about the impact and role of the digital in the culture industry. Is digital important? I spent a fair amount of time lately - more than 1.5 years - immersed at the intersection of culture and tech. And I can only concur with the author. Even weirder, I was part of a highly tech team considering they're managing the particle accelerator located under Le Louvre museum - the only one in the world 100% dedicated to heritage science - and, despite that, digital is most of the time just an afterthought.
They're tremendous opportunities in there. No doubt.
4:40pm
David's newsletter is one of my favorite. Period. The way he puts 'extreme longevity' in perspective is unique; and really refreshing for me. David himself embodies this. There is something special around longevity in Asia by the way. But I'll dig more into this topic later. Meanwhile, an anecdote struck me in his Number One recent issue:
I sat down with the founder of Medicom Toy a few weeks ago. We were discussing my trajectory and place in culture, how we might continue to strive towards working on projects of meaning together… when Mr. Akashi suddenly asked me how old I was.
53 soon! Hard to believe.
Akashi started to count on his hands while whispering numbers, and said back to me, “Daijoubu! Plenty of time! Daijoubu!”
My advice to you today is “Never be number one.”
8pm
What would be the opposite of 'forever'? I like the 'this project is ephemeral' announce in advance. There is something fresh in this approach. Like INQUE Magazine - that resonates with Yancey's convo above.
INQUE is a beautiful annual literary magazine dedicated to extraordinary new writing. Documenting what is going to be an era-defining decade, it will run no advertising, have no web version, and only ever publish 10 issues.
9:41pm
I finally check my Spotify wrapped. My #1 top song is from a friend of mine. In the context of a recent dinner with an old friend, seeing that I'm an alchemist is... interesting. To put in context with this quote from the book:
And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
