QWERTY: THE CURATION OF CREATION

Today, I talk a little about striving for substance in the curation of storytelling, rather than just the creation.

Some parts of an insight into the ol’ hat rack in terms of how I ponder the ambition for my own work - and perceive others’ - and also how I can generally question the vibe of the startup/tech industry I’ve chosen to operate in (and infrequently wonder whether I should continue to exist in.)

But more specifically referencing curation, and where I’ve taken inspiration from, in writing, in putting on events for years, in choosing guests and the voices I want to highlight, and on giving a damn about that, when sometimes, others seem to care not.

This week, I took note of The Creative Independent chalking up 10 years as an online publication. They’ve been an inspiration as a writing platform for me for years, as I sporadically consumed articles from creatives and their perspectives - in interview form - but also, to take note of the fact that the Creative Independent team assemble these interviews for what-feels-like-only-me to enjoy, and I do so very much.

The Creative Independent is an ad-free resource of ‘emotional and practical guidance for creative people’, founded by Brandon Stosuy in 2016 and received backing and publishing support by Kickstarter. Interviews, guides, essays - real writing - and a great insight into the realities of a creative life. As a free resource, the stats say it’s visited by millions each year, and their daily newsletter reaches approx. 65,000.

I mention TCI today as it can often be exhausting on the creative front - conjuring something from nothing as part of this daily ‘work’ or ‘producing’ rhythm - and inspiration must be sought from somewhere. But, it also has the fortunate by-product of rejecting produced slop on the internet more, and as a meta extension of that, rejecting the people who are comfortable shipping said slop, moreso.

Recently, I have been noticing more mentions on linkedin specifically that they are ‘going all in on creators’ or something to that effect. What the actual does that mean specifically? That these generated posts that say nothing, vomit up milquetoast and exemplify the most minor elements of proofreading constitute creative expression? As I heard a friend retort a while back, and thought it was the funniest way to end a question of exasperation: “Jesus Wept.”

I don’t want to lean too far into being mean-spirited. But within my world of tech and startups and the storytelling/production that’s curated as a result, there can be a lot left to be desired on the care for curation front, and that might be putting it nicely.

My daily rhythm is filled with mentions of your canva’s and atlassians and your openai’s and your claudes, yet to be able to actually do my work more effectively or efficiently, I’m seeking inspiration from people who are part of pieces on Creative Independent such as:

• Jacob Bannon of the band Converge, the label Deathwish, and a prolific artist. Jacob speaks on giving yourself to the art life, and on letting go of your work

• Chelsea Wolfe the performer, on risk-taking

• Kathleen Dycaico, who has worked with one of my absolute favourite groups Boy Harsher, on world-building

• David Lowery, the eventual director of A24’s A Ghost Story and The Green Knight, on sourcing inspiration from where you grew up

• Sean Baker, the eventual director of Neon’s Anora and A24’s The Florida Project, on not giving up.

Have a read of any of those pieces if you’re so inclined, but there are hundreds - nay thousands - more on the site, and if you need a burst of inspo, you’ll find it.

But TCI did a great feature for their 10 years, looking across the 5.2million words on the site and finding threads and spirals within. It’s a great view of what curation looks like when you zoom out. Check that out HERE

THE POINT

The point, over and above adoration in TCI for their various features on numerous luminaries in music, in film, in game design, in world-building, in soundscapes etc is that this is a decade of work curated, and curated well, and that inspires me personally.

Which inevitably has a counterbalance often in the industry I work within, with the same people profiled on podcasts, the same people speaking on events, the same people interviewed, the same people tapped on the shoulder for an opinion for ‘content.’ It can be terribly bland often, and I no doubt will appreciate someone producing something that feels a little more rogue, with a little more depth of creative expression, and who overthinks the smallest details in the pursuit of crafting something creative, because they must.

I’ve observed the tendency the entire time I have been involved in startups and tech, is to lean on the flavour of the week/month, to profile the loudest voices on linkedin rather than the best builders operating to the side of the stage, and to lazily curate for events and interviews and other profiles. That only gets worse when AI is tacked on to it to ship something out there into the world and call it considered.

Often, we’ll take in yet another venture capitalist or ceo or whoever regurgitate once again to an audience that ‘taste’ will be the differentiator in an era of AI proliferation.

To wit you’d have to say: plenty of people have shit taste, so that’s not the answer solely.

Tasteful curation that’s considered and thoughtful is what I’m here for. And if you need another example, go sign up to Dense Discovery newsletter which goes out weekly to 36K+ people all around the world. Those readers know curator Kai Brach, trust his tasteful curation, and they tune in every week. That’s actual taste.

AND…

I’ve been writing heaps lately, launching out my SEEDS platform which has been profiling some great companies and some great founders and as of this week launching a new podcast interviewing tech investors. It’s a dance between builders of tech companies, heavy on the operators, bootstrapped or the people who back them, educationally focused, injecting my opinion occasionally but again, largely focusing on the people who are great builders, who put their hands on initiatives and help them grow, and often, operating from the side of the stage rather than front and centre.

It’s the storytelling I want to read and curate, and so it is that I do.

And that might not be to everyone’s taste, and that’s totally fine. But when I think that September 30th is probably a good day to launch a new tech investment podcast called CHEQUE CHECK because it’s International Podcast Day, or I’m thinking of the best interview to release on someone building mycelium solutions on October 15th because it’s World Mushroom Day, or any number of other threads to pull in the pursuit of good curation, it’s at least considered, and I very simply have a belief that the audience will build from that focus.

Thanks for reading. It’s World Smile Day. If you want one, I also push out a weekly merch focused newsletter called DRIP DROP on Fridays with my friend Kayla Medica. You should see some of the absurd writing we’ve conjured up on there. Nothin’ but smiles for me, as I tap-tap-tap away on my QWERTY, about merch that’s well curated (or not. we don’t hold back)

Gaz

(Image for this article features Tim Devine who is the Global Chief Invention Officer at AKQA, someone I was fortunate to have on one of my Melbourne Tech events back in 2019 & eventually did a bit of work with. High appreciation of good curation, has Tim)

A Little Curation For Ya

Here. *Have Some Of My Taste* I used to love curating playlists but stopped for a while there, just simply saving songs I enjoyed and having them in this huge stack to shuffle through, but had been wanting to condense that of late.

I picked 5 tracks that stuck out to me recently as ones I have enjoyed for either a long time or most recently, so you can find them on my playlist GROUPED MOOD, which I’ll keep adding to when the mood fits (it’s a hard to define mood, but it works for me) Check it HERE (will work out how to port it to other sites soon)

Beyond the Lens by Dark Rooms is a really great one - this dark, sinister (even in the lyrics) mood that then brightens for the chorus, leading into these really catchy and uplifting lyrical refrains, great vibe.

Changing by Kite has a whole other mood, this really urgent undertone in a synth-driven tune that’s both catchy and sort of unnerving. A great driving tune to sing along to.

NO PAIN by The Bad Manners and Lilith has an incredible driving beat, has this really dark and sort of lo-fi edge to it, and the interchange between vocalists for chorus works so well. Big fan of when the artwork shows up on the car display when the family is there too.

Violet Drive by Kerala Dust is this weird, sort of alt-country, rollllllling rhythm tune that I have loved ever since I heard it, it feels like if a song needed a shower, just covered in literal dust and grime, with these humming vocals, lurching bass and all sorts of eccentricities going on in the tune. Banger.

Pains by Silk Rhodes is easily one of my fav all-time finds and this one is always a fav if it comes on while having a drink on a lazy afternoon in the sun. It’s a reallllllllllllllll slow one with heaps of soul to it, beautiful falsetto vocals and melody and as above, it’s just a MOOD.