Quick update
The past year has come in waves. Lots of time spent reflecting, lots of time spent working. I moved back home for a bit to spend time with family. After that I moved into a house in Los Angeles with a bunch of people in tech, social media, music, etc.
Started Yerb with a group of friends, got back into making music regularly, and grew the design team at Fast from 2 designers to 8 designers.
I recently felt inspired to revive this newsletter. The goal is to build a habit of sharing my thoughts and creative process more publicly.
From now on – this newsletter will be more of an informal place to share updates, thoughts, and projects I’m working on.
Thoughts on poparazzi
Poparazzi hit number one. Huge win for consumer social, huge win for LA tech. The team has been working hard the past year trying to find something that sticks. I was in Palm Springs last summer watching a movie called Waves while Nick was on the couch next to me designing v1 of what would become Poparazzi. It’s a special feeling when things work out. When the app your friend dreamed up a year ago is now being used and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of people.
I’m excited to see where it goes. They built something special and got people excited about social media again – that’s already a huge win.
Building in different places
Over the past year I’ve had the opportunity to live and work in a bunch of different places. Oklahoma, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Palm Springs, San Diego, etc.
This was the view from the house in LA where we created Yerb, shot countless videos, and made a full-length EP. There’s something to be said about changing the environment you create in. The music I made, the things I designed, and even the media I consumed changed from place to place.
I was making solo alt rock music when I was living on the beach in San Diego, while in NYC I was recording hip-hop music with a group of friends. A change of scenery affects your creative headspace.
As the world starts to open up again, I plan to travel abroad more this year. However, I think my “nomad” days are coming to an end. As much as I love hopping from city to city every month, I miss having a sense of community that staying in one place affords. I’ve enjoyed my time traveling, and now I’m looking forward to building community somewhere. Not sure where that place is, but it awaits.
What I’m consuming
Lots of Jean Dawson, Kodak, and NERD
Trying to get better at producing, so watching lots of YouTube tutorials
Re-reading Rebel Without a Crew for the hundredth time
Watching a ton of F*ck That’s Delicious
What I’m creating
After months of working on music and messing with different sounds/styles, I finally released my first single on Spotify. I recorded it on a $20 mic at a beach house in San Diego. Mixed & mastered everything myself. For what it is, I’m proud of how it turned out.