Zach's PEN #25: The Unsegmented Self

2021, Week 2: On not trying to niche myself

One of the things that I've struggled the most with in "trying to get started" making things has been this notion of niching myself or putting my interests in a neat little internally-consistent box.

The market economy, along with demanding that we justify and frame so much of our lives around "productivity," also demands that we develop a consistent Brand Message for ourselves. It's a really unhelpful way to think about yourself, particularly when trying to be creative.

"Who am I?" is a fine psychological or metaphysical question, but "How do I consistently present my unique voice to the world?" is a sure way to stop you from saying anything.

I'm very interested in the following things:

• Storytelling (Filmmaking/Radio/Writing)

• Tools and Tool Design (Hardware/Software/Systems)

• Politics and Power Structures

• Food and Cooking

• Spirituality and Meditation Practice

And I'm also interested in a lot more than that.

To me, these things are all perfectly related and aren't separate from one another in any real way in my mind. I'm interested in writing about and pursuing all of them, and that's just who I am.

So anywhere that I am, as me (at my social media handles, this newsletter, and on https://zachphillips.blog), I don't ever want to develop a single, nichified, carefully curated, consistent Zach Brand. It's in these locations, that are me as myself, that I'll talk about whatever the hell I'm interested in. From there may emerge specific things I want to pursue artistically or as commercial enterprises, at which point those can all become their own Products or Brands.

I'm never, myself, going to be a Product or Brand. Because I'm not. And any attempt at a definition only limits what I'm able to discover and what I'm comfortable sharing and what possible ways I can contribute.

Anyway, it feels good to not need to think that way anymore. The stuff I make should probably make some sense, some day, in some way, but I, myself, don't need to make sense. Ever.

Here's this week's threads. Yes, seven more of them. I’m still writing every day (and still working out every day too, which is crazy for me). I'll be rethinking my nerd-o-meter as I go, but again, the more emoji attached to thread, the more broadly relevant I think it is:

Transcendental Meditation as Beginner Meditation 🧘🧘🧘🧘🧘

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

I've practiced many forms of meditation over the years. While my current practice doesn't include it much, I'd like to offer my experience with Transcendental Meditation™ and why it's such a great "beginner" meditation for a certain kind of person (and definitely was for me). 👇

The Filmmaking Feedback Loop 🎥🎥🎥

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

The most important difference between "thinkin' about stuff" and a generative creative process is the feedback loop: Building something outside your brain, looking at it, and iterating. The tricky thing with filmmaking is just how much work it requires to externalize a film. 👇

The (Surprising) Utility of Pen and Paper 🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

There are several things I'm ashamed to have discovered way too late in life. One of them is the incredible problem-solving and generative power of a quiet hour with nothing but a hard or amorphous problem, a single sheet of paper, and a pen. 👇

Design Accessibility Applied to Ideas 🤔🤔🤔

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

One lesson from design is that there's no downside to focusing on maximum accessibility. If a website or a kitchen utensil is easier for someone with a disability to use, benefits, many unconsidered, will carry over to everyone else. This concept also applies to ideas. 👇

Being Willing to be Earnestly Wrong 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

The most offensive thing to most people is having their views "misrepresented," sort of. "Because you THIS you must be ALL OF THAT." —> 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 What I think this is really about is an innate knowing of ourselves: That we're complicated, much more than any one facet. 👇

My Sister Liz’s Amazing Pattern Design Gift 👶👶👶👶👶

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

My sister Liz is a genius. In addition to being a dance instructor, a composer who plays all instruments, and one of the best improv performers I've ever seen, she's now doing surface pattern design. For Christmas, she pulled photos of my kids off Instagram and made this fabric:

The Political “Game” 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Zach Phillips @zachphillips

I can't get away from games/sports analogies when discussing democracy and economics and friends have told me it leaves a bad taste in their mouths. "This isn't a game." Honestly, I think it IS a game, and that's not a pejorative. Games are really, really important. Thread. 👇

Next week will likely feature YouTube videos of me filmmaking in virtual reality (excited about that) and I hope to have some cool news about a politics podcast I’ll be cohosting with some really awesome people soon.

All the best, PENpals,

Zach