Let's Just Skip to the End!
Welcome to the end of Use Your F*cking Voice.
Yes, we are living in unprecedented times where the future of our free speech is at the mercy of corporations, hucksters, liars, and thieves. But that's not where I'm going with this article.
Instead, I've decided to end this project so that I can focus on other things, myself included. If you're wondering why I made this decision, you can thank a recent article from John P. Weiss, Whatever Happened to Mystery?, in which he shares this profound thought:
“What would our culture look like if more people had the courage to hold something back?
Not by building tiers of access or monetizing exclusivity, but by refusing to put everything on display in the first place. By tending the garden of our inner lives instead of broadcasting every inch of it.
When we make our public presence scarce, we can prioritize our inner lives. And then, when we do emerge to share what we’ve been working on, it’s more precious.”
Thank you, John. Message received.
I feel the desire for less weekly, episodic work. I acknowledge my need for diving deeper into bigger projects that require time and isolation. But mostly, in honor of this month's theme, I want to let some consistency go, so I can be consistent with what truly matters.
I'll still be producing weekly episodes of the Getting Work To Work podcast and newsletter. But those will be my only weekly projects.
Where Was This All Going?
I was planning on wrapping up this newsletter at the end of the year. Over the next three months, I was going to focus on peace, love, and hope. Why? Because in a world of amplified hatred and rage, there is a boldness in sharing messages of peace, love, and hope.
Instead of getting louder, let's get quieter, calmer. In the face of manufactured outrage, let's get clearer. In the face of the unholy, let's search for the divine. And in the mask of the divine, let's discover the mystery that will never thrive in a world of certainty.
If I follow the advice of social media influencers, I'm doing this all wrong. I need to speak up, not go away. But I don't need to be another clanging cymbal in the symphony of destruction (Thanks, Megadeth!)
I'll still keep this newsletter archive on Substack, so feel free to comment or share your own thoughts. Maybe I'll return to it one day, but for now, I'll see you later.
Newsletter Notes:
My sonic soundtrack is There Was A Light Here by Demon Hunter.
Today's photo is old stone tombs on graves on ancient cemetery in europe from Envato Elements.
I used Manometer Serif by Arne Freytag and FG Bethany by Bethany Schlegel Shawfor for the UYFV logo in the graphic above. Additional typefaces include Travelers Gothic by Mahaffey Design Co. and Headline Gothic ATF by American Type Founders Collection.
