A Narrative of Observant Life
This is the first issue of OBSERVANT, a weekly newsletter I write on travel, photography, journaling, and taking notice of the seemingly insignificant details that accumulate into the stories of our lives. Observing implies I’m only a spectator, though, a witness. But I realize that through writing, I reflect on my character, my plot, and I can see the story develop.
My goals with this newsletter are primarily selfish. As I strive to document my experiences in an interesting way, I’m compelled to look under the surface and articulate the relevance of my decisions, my motives, my inspirations. I write not just to remember something, but to determine what about it I wanted to remember. In parallel, the light, timing, and composition of photography are equally expressive and self-revealing. What you photograph and what you leave out of the frame make known the mysteries of your mind, your heart. What better confidants could you have besides your notebook and camera?
This newsletter will likely appear to be about other people, the stories they tell me, and the places where I meet them. It may include advice like where to find the best burrito in San Francisco, how to anchor your sailboat in Aquatic Cove, and maybe even a gear review or two. But of course, this newsletter is not actually about these things.
OBSERVANT will be our community; a place where your subscription means we share in our intention to better understand ourselves and the moments that connect us. I do not intend for this to be a place of solitude, but rather, a weekly moment of brief self-reflection through the experiences of others. But... don't get the wrong idea here. This is a casual place where we'll talk about road trips and cocktail recipes.
With all of that out of the way, I’ll jump into this week’s edition.
I’m nearing the end of Joan Didion’s White Album. Love it. I hope I can absorb even a fraction of her writing talent, and she’s been a big inspiration for my push toward travel writing and photography. She said she wrote to “remember what it was to be me.” Previously, I've avoided including "I this" or "I that" in my writing, embarrassed to turn the story on myself. But Didion's perspective on writing has convinced me that by including myself in the story, I am able to better understand my experiences and have deeper connections with the people I'm writing about. Her writing on keeping a journal has also risen to the top of the miles and miles written on the internet about journaling styles and commitments. There are infinite stories around me, but realizing my own story, who I was and who I am, is what drives my creativity right now. My daily journaling is accomplished with a paper notebook, a typewriter, IA Writer, or just a note on my phone. Most of what I write is boring, not worth repeating, and occasionally I just throw it away or delete it. But the commitment I've made to daily writing and "butt in chair" has been a relief to my soul, it develops my craft, and it's just plain fun. And if you're curious, this newsletter is written in IA Writer as a markdown file and then uploaded to my website.
I consume all things Dan Milnor, and I’ve been waiting patiently for his website rebuild that was published recently. He started a Discord and already in the first few weeks I’ve learned new things. I learned about Craig Mod, Martijn Doolaard, and the cool way to load a Nikon F3 film camera. Those three things alone have made participating in his new content worthwhile. I’ve been all through the new site, subscribed to the Wire newsletter, and joined his Patreon. His is the first Patreon I’ve ever considered joining. I’m not there for any specific member benefits. I just want to support his work because he has been a big inspiration for years now and I want to show my gratitude. I don’t know him personally, but we’ve exchanged a few emails over the years with him graciously answering my questions. I mean come on… he’s “creating a narrative of observant life.” I honestly don’t want anything more than that. And his quote was the inspiration for the name of this newsletter.
That’s it for now. First issue down. Many more to come.