№ 78: Bloomstory Codex, Changing of Seasons, Unproductivity Is The New Productivity
A brief update of the last months
Hey, it’s been a minute.
Almost two months, to be more precise.
It’s been a weird one. After my last newsletter, I sat down to write Bloomstory’s codex. It’s a writing project that compiled all of my knowledge and experience on human behaviour, philosophy, evolutionary biology, AI and how it aids the marketing process.
I was writing, on average, 2500 words a day. So, when it came to writing this newsletter, I had nothing left in the tank.
I finished writing the first draft of the codex almost a month ago and am letting the piece ‘breathe’ before I attempt draft 2.
A few friends have messaged me asking when I’d return to this newsletter, but weirdly, I have struggled to hit publish. I have 3 newsletters — the first on Michelangelo’s David, the second on Are We Living in a Brave New World, and the third on The Importance of Deciding Where to Live — sitting in my drafts.
Something has held me back from publishing, and I don’t know what it is. So I figured I’d open a new draft, write, and hit publish on whatever comes out.
I don’t really know what this newsletter is going to be about, so I’m just going to write and ramble until I wind up where I need to be.
For the last two months, I’ve been spending more and more time in London. My girlfriend, my co-founder, and all of Bloomstory’s business action are there.
Whilst I love London, the constant travelling back and forth from Birmingham to London zaps a lot of my time.
I often think about the adage, “You can have anything, but you can’t have everything.” I suppose by writing unfiltered, I am (finally?) admitting to myself that I can’t do everything.
I arrogantly thought I could run a business, spend time with my girlfriend, hang out with friends and family, publish weekly, climb, and read for at least an hour a day.
The areas with the most significant cuts are publishing weekly, climbing and hanging out with friends, or more specifically, my friends in Birmingham.
‘Cuts’ feels like the wrong word but I guess it’s the part of my life that has changed the most or been substituted for something else. I still write daily, I just don’t publish. I still exercise; I just don’t climb as much. I still meet other people, I just don’t see my Birmingham friends as much.
These aren’t exactly complaints, but I guess I am acknowledging the changing seasons in my life.
I can’t believe we’re 3 months in 2024 already. I remember when I was 16 years old, I hated how time moved so slowly. I couldn’t wait to grow up and move out of the house. Now that I’m 32 years old, I hate how time moves so quickly. I just want to be able to sit, take it all in and enjoy the moment. I’ve always been too soon old, too late smart.
This is all for now.
Apart from the Bloomstory codex project, here’s what I’ve also been up to:
I started working with a fairly big poker name on video and newsletter strategy.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how optimising productivity in a creative profession is actually unproductive. A lot of the things you do requires serendipity.
My friend Q informed me about the Founders Runner’s Club in London, and I joined it.
Running with a group makes it so much more pleasant.
So much of running feels like writing. There’s a saying, “I hate to write, but I love having written.” The same goes for running: “I hate to run, but I love the feeling after running.”
Anyone is welcome to join. The London one starts at 9:30 AM on Saturday at Regent’s Park. There’s a 5km and 10km group.
Bloomstory dropped the “premium” and “video” niche and has decided to reposition as a “creative performance marketing agency.”
We also started a podcast, which has been so much fun to do.
We ended things with a nightmare client. It was a good lesson in how to handle someone who wanted to pay so little and demand so much.
Speak soon,
Jason.
Glad to see you back :)