cool stuff i found #16
love and stuff, flopping, and joshua neal crushin' in
what’s good nakama (japanese for family). i’m back in the Bay after a short stint in Brooklyn, and i feel 100x reinvigorated. there’s a lot of reasons why. tough conversations that i needed to hear, seeing old friends, being able to have time to think and reflect. new york’s definitely a type of place that calls on you, explicitly and implicitly, to work harder and make things happen. i felt that rubbed off on me, and that’s exactly what i needed.
anywhow, i’m happy to back and i’m excited to continue writing. a few weeks ago i had a really prolific run, but since then i’ve intentionally gone into a headspace of absorption and reflection. great works are born out of this. most people go from the highs to the lows and freak out: “OH NO!!! i’m not as productive as i once was, or i’m not working as hard as i should be. output arghh!!!!”
relax lol. the goal is consistency. its important to just consistently produce, but also to recognize those “lows” and “dips” not as the opposite to creative production but rather as a necessity to it. in other words, you need the dips, valleys, and lows to just take things in, to absorb, in order to create. this is the natural creative cycle.
that being said, i have a few essays coming up post NYC that i’d really like to publish:
Work with Obsessors
The Surprising Thing I’ve Learned About Creativity
My Influences
perhaps they will come by next week, perhaps a little further than that. time will tell, but they’re in the horizons and i am letting you know.
as it stands, this upcoming newsletter is pretty spring themed in so far as it’s very lovey dovey — which is a bit of a divergence on what i normally consume, curate, but hey. that’s growth baby!
This newsletter is broken up into the following:
I. Articles + Essays I’ve read/written
II. Visual Art + Media
III. Music I’ve been listening to
I. Articles + Essays I’ve read
looking for alice by henrik karlsson
well Henrik Karlsson’s works took me by a storm this week. I’ve shared his works before, and even shared an article that was a summary of his recent work. it wasn’t until this past weekend that i got to dive deep. i have immense respect for henrik as a writer on relationships — romantic, platonic, or otherwise (a secret third thing). This essay has to do with how Henrik found his wife, Johanna, and i hope it at least makes you smile.
dostoevsky as lover by henrik karlsson
when i say his work took a hold on me this weekend, i meant it. this essay is a part two in the series of essays, but this essay focuses on the craft of love that him and his wife have had to dedicate themselves to in order to keep growing together. this snippet on love was quite convincing:
notes on flopping by aamina inayat khan
in this essay, aamina opens up about being her being in her “flop” era or “loosing season.” i found this whimsical meditation on how she hates the word “flop” to be pretty funny, so i shared the excerpt below. but this essay has everything to do, and in some sense inspired, what i wrote above: “in other words, you need the dips, valleys, and lows to just take things in, to absorb, in order to create. this is the natural creative cycle.”
ramadan in saint denis by ala fox
a deeply vulnerable piece, and the only words i can muster up is "tragically beautiful." it's a captivating essay, and i felt a roller coaster of emotions from anger at Eloise to a warmth for Amir. writer ala fox recounts a tale of a love she found in the midst of france, and reminds us all that life can be a bitch sometimes.
EBC Days 10-12 & Kathmandu by nadah feteih
my friend nadah, as per her M.O., quietly trekked to the Everest Base Camp alongst a few other badass women. 50 years from now someone could come up to me and be like “did you know nadah climbed mt Xe2123s08 on mars?!” and id just nod along and mutter under my breath “yeah she always had that dawg in her.”
you should check out her substack as she blogs about her EBC trip starting from day 1! here’s a snippet from the very end:
II. Visual Art + Media
The secret to desire in a long-term relationship by Esther Perel
this is a ted talk shared with me in relation to henrik karlsson’s essay. the secret is pretty much is "the ability to stay connected to one's self in the presence of another" which i think henrik also says in a different way (for him, it is to maintain curiosity about your partner and allow them the space to be themselves). despite spoiling the secret for you, i still highly recommend watching the entirety of this lecture as she makes her point in a humorous and thoughtful way.
the ninth symphony by joshua neal
i have immense respect for joshua as a creative. his stuff is quality, and you can tell there’s a level of craftsmanship + obsession in what he puts out. the ninth symphony is a short film that feels like a quick scene in a movie you really want to watch. the dialogue makes joshua appear to be a sort of Black Ryan Reynolds character playing some derivative of deadpool’s character, but, upon further inspection, you’ll find that joshua has his own style and its one to keep a watch for moving forward.
III. Music I’ve Listened To
get money - biggie smalls freestyle by joshua neal
this work by joshua had me cheesin’ because, if you don’t know, i’m a fucking 10-day x ACID RAP (AGH AGH!!) kid at heart and this reminded me of the good old days.
Thanks for reading this edition. Share this with your friends, your grandma, or your neighbor. And if you made it to the end of this essay and you didn’t just scroll, dm me a ✌️ on either twitter or instagram. or leave a comment! As always,
Sincerely,
Haroon
P.S. Check out my previous newsletter if you’re curious: Cool Stuff I Found #15