We're all Edward Hopper paintings now

Here you go. The most accurate meme.

Apparently we’re almost in the fall. I’m not sure what’s going on. The only thing I’ve tracked are Sundays so that I can send you some delicious content.

Here we are:

Lazy Questions for the Week

1. Who am I without my friends? How do I define myself without my relationships?

2. In which ways are productivity systems improving my life? In which ways productivity systems an excuse not to do the real hard work?

3. How do I use work, tasks, and “productivity” to avoid my emotions?

Seeds

To grow wonderful things in your mind:

1. One of my favorite artists of all time, Edward Hopper was (is?) apparently the patron saint of our social isolationist times. Guardian calls him the artist of the coronavirus age. Here are a few examples of why:

   Michael Tisserand @m_tisserand

   we are all edward hopper paintings now

   

   

   

   

2. This week Paul LeCrone interviewed me on his podcast. He released a cool trailer (below) and I’ll be sharing the full podcast when it comes out. I had a super fun time talking to him.

   Paul LeCrone @paul_lecrone

   I felt like my brain was going to explode while recording this episode with @PranavMutatkar - He's got so much to share with the world. His open-mindedness to see the connections between disparate subjects is really fascinating. Enjoy this sneak peak!

   

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As my love-hate relationship with social media continues, I think a lot about a quote from the Guardian article I linked above.

We choose modern loneliness because we want to be free.

Ironically, social media is the opposite of this.

I’m not a fan of Facebook or Twitter. It works for others but doesn’t always work for me. There is no doubt though that it’s a great way to create communities, keep in touch with friends, and meet smart, interesting people. Others seem to have all these benefits without any downsides. I want that too!

I want the benefits without the dumbing of thought, time investment, and validation seeking behavior social media seems to demand from me. Is this possible?

Is it possible to be free without the loneliness?

Till next time,

Pranav