David Pennington

“appstinence”

Productivity tools shape our thinking in ways that favor standardization, efficiency, and predictability. They demand structure before inspiration has a chance to strike. They ask for timelines when the problem itself is still hazy. But creativity is not linear. Often, it involves struggling down several blind alleys before finding the right path.

The people we traditionally consider to be smartest are those best at some sort of a general math / reasoning ability.

This is not what genius is.

“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.” -Joseph Massey

Side projects as the key to the good life By Marty Bell • 31 Jul 2025

When I was 13, I created a chat room for teenagers to talk about art and photography (the tagline was, if I remember, “The future of art but we don’t give a fuck”). I think that was the first self-made project I put out into the world, and it taught me one of the most important

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After the forest expands, we will become deeply sceptical of one another’s realness . Every time you find a new favourite blog or Twitter account or Tiktok personality online, you’ll have to ask: Is this really a whole human with a rich and complex life like mine? Is there a being on the other end of this web interface I can form a relationship... See more