Introducing Ruminations

A new space in The Line Between for everything non-work

Aug 30, 2022

Hey folks!

We’re well into year two of The Line Between (TLB). There are a lot more folks with us, TLB is evolving, and it’s probably a good time to clean up framing and envisioned value for the publication, double down on hunches.

The tldr; is that I’m carving out space in TLB to talk about stuff that’s not purely about work in progress. So I’m gonna start organizing some issues into a section called Ruminations for everything non-work.

A little poll below (anonymous AFAIK), would love your feedback! Public comments are appreciated but you can always email me too.

REALLY APPRECIATE YOU CHIMING IN!

Simplifying

Over time, I’ve noticed that TLB issues have been getting more structured. The format and organization probably help folks navigate different kinds of content in a single issue: news, WIP, creative inspiration, NYC gems.

It’s been working out ok, but I’m craving more simplicity, less formality. I recently began playing with video, and that’s been great for telling richer stories more concisely within issues. Now I’d like to take it further and break out non-work stuff into a separate, dedicated space.

Introducing Ruminations

Ruminations is a new section in TLB where everything “non-work” is going to live.

You already get a peek into what I do in the studio; think of Ruminations as a peek into my head. This is going to be a very free-form space. It’s where I plan to write about creative inspiration like books and films, share NYC gems, wonder out loud, even sidebar on other TLB issues. An issue could be three sentences or an essay. It could be image-only, arrive unannounced in an off-week, or not at all for months.

The point is: NO RULEZ!

I think I’ve been craving this kind of artistic freedom for some time (you see glimmers here), but that’s been increasingly hard to accommodate with the structure that’s been developing in TLB. Now, we have more room for spontaneity and vulnerability.

And you know what? As undefined as all this may seem, at the end of the day it still feels connected to work in the studio—and I love that.

While I hope you end up enjoying Ruminations, Substack does allows you to opt-out of getting notified for any section in a newsletter (just uncheck the box). Every single issue, even ones you’re not getting notified for, can always be accessed in the Archive.

Feel free to comment on this post or reply by email with thoughts. Enthusiastically open to feedback as always.

There are open questions

For example, it’s possible (though unlikely) that I write a rumination but decide not to publish a work-in-progress update on a newsletter week. If you’ve opted out of getting notified for Ruminations, then you won’t get anything the week you’re used to getting a newsletter. Which could be weird. (Or not, idk.)

Anyway, bridges to be crossed; I’ll go with the flow and see where things lead.

Thanks for your patience as I iterate!!

Anyway,

Ruminations is a byproduct of increasing clarity around TLB raison d’être, audience, envisioned value. What TLB is, why I write it, what I hope you get out of it, why pay, etc. has been reframed in various places, including Welcome.

This is, of course, a developing story ✌️