If it takes a lifetime

Dear Friends,

It’s been a while. At some point, you heard me whisper about starting a newsletter. You received this missive because you agreed to come along, at least at the beginning. You can unsubscribe anytime with no hard feelings.

So, what is this? Why now? I don’t know. This thing found me.

It all began in late 2024. I had a health scare, for those who weren’t aware. I’ll write more about it another time, but long story short, it was a record scratch in my brain.

I made it out in one piece, but I was not the same. An age-old question loomed overhead: “Oh shit, what now?”

Into the great wide open

That wasn’t easy to answer. I did my best to muddle through, too old for a quarterlife crisis and too young for a midlife crisis. It took a long time to realize what was happening.

Eventually, the path was clear. It was time to try something new. It was time to touch grass. So, I did the crazy thing. I left my job and embarked on what I’ll call market research.

Since then, I have spent nearly a year in the wilderness, figuratively speaking. I disappeared as far as the Matrix is concerned. I spent weeks and months away from the internet, and in that time, rebuilt my life from the ground up.

It was a worthwhile journey full of peaks and valleys, and I accomplished what I set out to do. I settled into being a dad, wrote a novel, built a website, and took on a handful of freelance clients.

And there was serendipity. I got sober, lost 20 pounds, and discovered some great books. I combed through the classics, and slowly, I found an anchor in who I used to be. Writing was fun again.

A pamphlet-monger

“A very good-for-nothing sort of a man I assure you,” answered the abbé. “…He is one of those vipers in literature who nourish themselves with their own venom; a pamphlet-monger.”

“A pamphlet-monger!” said Candide, “what is that?”

“Why, a pamphlet-monger,” replied the abbé, “is a writer of pamphlets—a fool.”

— Voltaire, Candide

I’ve known I should start a newsletter for a while now. I ghostwrote them for years, though I struggled with what to write about here.

Conventional wisdom demands that you map out your audience, the themes you want to discuss, your niche, and all the clear paths to cashing in. The more I pondered that stuff, the more I felt stuck.

Then, it hit me. What if I pulled a wild card and went the complete opposite direction?

Most of what we see in media today was built to make life easy for algorithms and hijack attention. Now, that apparatus is tearing at the seams. Why not experiment a bit, resist categorization, and enjoy life uncompressed? Anything goes.

It turns out there’s a lot of material when the seatbelt sign is turned off and you’re free to walk around the cabin. Predetermination is good for business but no way to live. I would rather venture into an unknown that unfolds for me page by page like it does for you as a reader. Some mysteries yet remain.

Is there anybody out there?

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but our kind has grown desperate these days.

Writers are prone to complaining, though it’s more pathetic now. The general theme is there’s supposedly no point in trying anymore. What’s the use in scribbling away if AI bros are just going to snatch it for their models and social media splintering has made it nearly impossible to get rich and famous?

I believe some things are worth it just for the sake of doing them. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but I thought artists were supposed to be bohemian or something.

I’m chasing meaning wherever it hides.

This newsletter is coming to you for the love of the game, sponsored by yours truly. It’s private, independent, and free so we can go anywhere. I’ll update you on my projects, cool stuff I find, and other questions I’m thinking about.

I got too far from my raising, I forgot where I come from
And the line between right and wrong was so fine
Well, I thought the highway loved me
But she beat me like a drum
My day will come, if it takes a lifetime

— Jason Isbell, If It Takes a Lifetime

This is the model for creative endeavors in 2026. The post-influencer, post-brand era has arrived, and I, for one, am here for it. The fat is off the land, and that’s good news for anyone still hungry to do something with their lives.

It may take a lifetime to add up to something. Might as well start now. Write and read with wild abandon and if nothing else, feel free.

From the woods,

J.T.

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