About

Let me level with you right off the bat: this publication is going to be 100x scrappier than anything else you subscribe to.

I’m experimenting with writing as freely as possible minimal editing on everything I write from here on out, which will likely mean:

• Spelling mistakes.

• No consistent theme - possibly more journal-like than polished publication.

• No Substack Tone™ - it’ll sound like I do when I’m talking to myself without eyes on me.

• No Substack Rhythm - journals don’t wrap up the entry neatly and land smoothly. Abrupt endings like I Want You (She’s So Heavy).

• Probably the odd putting-my-foot-in-it mistake.

All in the name of trusting the process.

I’m embracing the approach of two artists that I admire from different mediums: Minutemen (punk band from San Pedro, California) and Stephen Lavelle (game designer from London). Both artists are comfortable putting out ideas that aren’t fully formed alongside some that are very well formed, and that aren’t really invested in playing to an audience for huge recognition but if it clicks for someone then that’s a bonus.

It’s also, partially, my attempt at a quiet pushback on AI saturation.

For full disclosure: The Other Way started as a publication that I put a good amount of effort into. The writing style sounded what I thought Substack people wanted to hear, the rhythm went like other Substacks in that it had a nice beginning, middle, and a lovely smooth landing at the end. I even had Midjourney working on the cover images. But then something about all of that felt disgusting on a creative level.

This time around, I’m embracing raw writing as if it’s being mashed into a typewriter and difficult to change. The images, for now at least, call back to ‘90s media and the coming-of-age period of my life because it feels more personal than anything imagined by a machine.