Hey,
I’m struggling with something.
I want to share more personal stuff online.
For example, on Monday I performed stand-up comedy for the first time (I wrote about it here).
I want to share things like that and how I’m solving my own problems.
So you lil sexy mfers.
What I’m tryna say is … I’m going to play around with the format of this newsletter. I promise I’ll never make it too long or boring. Plus, you can always unsubscribe. I won’t hate ya (okay, maybe I will for a little bit, but I can handle it, I’m a big boy).
Let’s get back to the good shit …
❝ QUOTE
I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at 9 o clock sharp.
Somerset Maugham (or Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner, Ralph Keyes)
No one can track the origin of the quote. It’s been attributed to a couple of famous authors over the years, which makes the message even stronger —> Creative genius isn’t random.
The best creators (founders, writers, singers) do it every day. They treat their craft like a profession.
Jerry Seinfeld once said,
The way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day.
You can’t be a great basketball player if you only practice when you feel good. You can’t be a dependable leader if you take 5 “mental health days” a quarter. And you can’t be creative if you only create when you feel creative.
Want to be more creative? Publish more content? Be an artist? Do it every day.
💵 Company: Artifact
What is it? Artifact is an app with a timeline of news stories. Think TikTok/Twitter for news stories.
How does it work? You sign up and choose the topics you’re interested in like AI, crypto, international politics, etc. You’ll receive a news feed of stories from outlets like Bloomberg and the Journal based on your preferences. As you read more articles, the app will personalize your feed (like TikTok).
Founders: A+++. The founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, founded Instagram. This is their first business since Instagram.
What does Billy think? It’s currently in private beta, but I signed up a few weeks ago and just received access. I used it for 20 minutes. The app feels like Twitter except, instead of my favorite people’s ideas, I see articles. The app is cool for people who want to follow the news. Personally, I’m cutting down on news consumption. But, if the algorithm can curate articles I like, I may use it more than I think.
✍🏼Person: Author, Steven Pressfield
Who is he?
Pressfield is best known for, “The War of Art.”, how to break through creative blocks. Pressfield inspires people to destroy their “Resistance” (the thing blocking everyone from putting their creations out in the world). I just read the book and will do a write-up on it later this week.
Pressfield went to Duke and joined the Marine Corps right after college in 1966. But, he didn’t publish his first book until 1995. In between joining the Marine Corps and publishing his first book, he distracted himself with teaching, driving tractor-trailers, working in advertising, drilling on offshore oil rigs, and picking fruit as a migrant worker.
It took him a long time to overcome resistance - 27 years! But once he did, he became one of the best-selling non-fiction writers of the 21st century. Which is how he went from picking fruit to photo ops with Oprah.
What’s he known for?
Fiction: The Warrior Ethos (still studied at West Point and other military institutes around the world)
Screenplays: His novel The Legend of Bagger Vance was made into a 2000 film starring Matt Damon as the golf pro and Will Smith as his spiritual guide
Non-Fiction: Do The Work
Best of Pressfield:
Steven Pressfield appeared on the Tim Ferriss podcast in 2021. Tim asked Steven what he learned from working at a mental asylum. Pressfield says, “Those patients (in the asylum) were some of the smartest people I ever met. But they didn’t tolerate society’s bullshit. The difference between sanity and insanity isn’t that far off.” You ever feel like not tolerating the B.S.? I know I do.
If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.
Art is a war – between ourselves and the forces of self-sabotage that would stop us from doing our work. The artist is a warrior.
Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.
📊 POLL:
YouTuber BigDaws made an Instagram Reel where he asked random people if they would trade their dog for $100k.
They all said no.
You can make a lot of money making dogs happy. A happy dog is a happy suburban white couple. Happy suburban white couples have a lot of money.
🐤 TWEETS:
Best tweet this year.
Change people’s perception. Great copy.
LeBron broke the NBA scoring record last night. Someone caught this photo. My guess is that it will be a symbolic photo for decades.
Everyone is watching LeBron break the record through a screen. Everyone except… Phil Knight. The founder and chairman of Nike.
Schrodinger’s Brat been cooking. Follow her for gems like these.
P.S. I took out the word section of the newsletter.