I Made Something for You

Our book, The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary, is out now

Fam,

When I was a kid I had a tough time finding “my people.” I was this skinny, awkward, doodling, muppet-loving writer type and it turns out they don’t make after school clubs for that.

Today is the day our new book, The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary, releases. Why do I keep saying “our” book? Two reasons:

1. It took a while, but I eventually found my people, and if you’re reading this right now you’re one of them.

2. It took me longer (probably longer than most), but over the past two years or so I’ve realized the most important pivot I can make is to stop trying to be for everybody and focus more on creating stuff for YOU, my fellow creative-problem-solving, status-quo-skeptical, gray-space-dwelling, difference-desiring kind of souls.

That’s what this book is. It’s a love letter to you about how to hold onto those qualities in an age of endless artificial distractions…because I genuinely believe that doing so is the last hope we have of remaining human as AI and the metaverse threaten to take over.

This is our book. Seriously. So many of you have encouraged me to continue writing, making, and sharing over the years. Your feedback, encouragement, and collaboration have been gifts. In that spirit, here are two simple ways you can help support today:

1. Buy a book. Literally. I want to demystify the whole author/writer thing here. I’m not super famous or have some magic book-selling engine I’m hiding. The biggest thing that helps support is people just buying books!

2. Spread the word. People buy and read books because they hear other people talking about them. 4 ways you can spread the word right now:

   1. Write a 5-star review on Amazon or Goodreads. People read these and notice when there are a lot of them. 1-2 sentences is plenty!

   2. Create a social media post and tell people to get it on Amazon. There are pictures you can use below!

   3. Call your local bookstore and ask them if they have The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary and if not, to get on that business!

   4. Reach out to me if you would like to brainstorm a fun event for your company or organization.

I’ll leave you with a poem from the book (yes, there are poems). It’s called Cyborg Captain’s Log.

When we were humans 
we’d quarrel around the kitchen table 
and have to soak our cuts in cold water.
Plants would stab us if we plucked them.
Squirrels would gnaw at our Christmas decorations.
Cooking itself was a kind of monotony.
We’d stir in circles while our thoughts scattered everywhere 
like peanut butter over bread.

When we were humans
it was always waiting:
in grocery lines, at traffic stops
between hospital corridors and underneath our clothes.
The length it would take to sit and grieve, for example,
was nothing compared to how long it took to love a thing.
Having to mash limbs with someone just to feel at home 
was bureaucratic at best.

When we were humans 
we never really saw each other,
only the light we could trap
which would bounce off everything,
literally everything
until we could no longer deny it:
the insistent incarnation of star matter
that must be dealt with one way or another. 

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Want to post about the book on social media? Here are some pictures: