Intentional Consumption #00

Weekly round-up of what I've consumed, intending to be intentional.

Hello Friends,

During this 30-day challenge, I aimed to consume less and create more. But to create, I knew I still had to consume, right? That led me to an idea sparked by reading Alex Lewis "Take It or Leave It" and a note by Daniel K. Hunter that struck a chord:

This is how "Intentional Consumption" was born. Just as food fuels the body, what we consume fuels our creativity. To produce meaningful work, I realized I needed to be intentional about what I fed my mind. So, I created a simple template in Obsidian, a basic markdown setup to guide my consumption.

Type: #type/newsletter
Area: #area/self 
Keywords: #keyword/thoughts
Status: #status/unprocessed 
Date Created: 2024-08-09

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https://open.substack.com/pub/actofparenting/p/experimentation?r=2n5z89&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

The goal is to ask myself why this content resonated with me. Was it for enjoyment, learning, self-development? By using this template, I hope to better understand my consumption and use it to create better content. So, let's dive in—remember, this is all an experiment. Testing in production.

What I Read: Substack

• 15thCenturyFeminist and Alex Lewis
  Men Performing Masculinity

  This piece touched on themes that felt deeply personal. It made me think about the 12-year-old Black kid I used to be and how much he needed a moment of vulnerability and understanding.

• Jamal Robinson
  The Indomitable Spirit

  Jamal’s work hit home on many levels, but this line stayed with me: "The indomitable spirit isn’t one devoid of grief, fear, or doubt. It is the one that has experienced them all and yet remains. Ready for love, joy, and all that is good."

What I Watched: YouTube

• Life of Riza

  I found this video while searching for ways to organize my creative process during this writing challenge. The content was helpful, but what stood out was the heart behind it. In a world where AI can churn out content in seconds, the human touch makes work special. Life of Riza reminded me that what truly sets content apart is the effort and emotion we put into it.

The Pull List: What I Enjoyed

Comics were my refuge as a kid, where I could escape. Now, as an adult, they’ve taken on a new kind of joy. Sharing Sunday comic book store runs with my kids has become one of the best ways to spend my time. Here are a few that made the list this week.

• Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #1
  Read it here

  I’ve been following Prodigy for a while, and Edison Crane has me hooked. This week, it’s at the top of my pull list.

  

• Moon Man #3
  Read it here

  The colors and artwork in this series are stunning. Creativity like this comes from the heart.

• "Dreams I See" by Kid Cudi
  

  This track has been on repeat all week. Pairs perfectly with the comic.

Reflection

Putting this list together was more challenging than I expected. I thought, “It’s just a list of what I consumed this week; how hard can it be?” It turned out to require more thought than I imagined, and I still missed adding a few, but I am getting rather close to that deadline mark for the day.

Even though I aimed to be intentional, I still found myself overeating—watching random YouTube clips, reading things that didn’t really speak to me, and endlessly scrolling. I’m creating, which is fantastic, but I’m still working on being more mindful.

Until tomorrow,

John D