What I learned this week - Ed. 1

Consistency is all that matters

To my subscribers:

There aren’t many of you, but I feel obliged to admit to you that I burned out. Not from the newsletter, but from my travels, work and other obligations. I realized that writing argumentative essays is not for me.

I spent my undergraduate career writing these types of essays in French, and I was relieved when I’d never be forced to write another. A good friend of mine from Tbilisi (who has since moved back to New York) started writing, and it pushed me to get back into it.

Now I’m here, and I’ve had a think. You may have noticed on my Instagram that I have been dabbling with writing my thoughts by hand on pieces of paper and posting them in a carrousel. I’m going to continue with that, but in a format called What I learned this week.

An example of such writings

In this first edition of What I learned this week, I will write a few of thoughts with some context. Think of it as something between Twitter and a blog.

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Consistency Is The Only Thing That Matters

I had a meeting with a writer New York last month. During this meeting, she said something that I think about almost every day. I had mentioned the luck component of building anything, and she immediately commented that consistency is all that matters.

This isn’t anything new. I’m sure most of us have heard that consistency is very important. Going to the gym once a month will not make you stronger, but going once a day absolutely will, even if you perform the same exercises.

As I’m writing multiple newsletters for small (but growing) audiences, her words help push me to publish consistently.

Take Everything One Step At a Time

People often ask me for things. I get an email asking me to put someone on in my gallery almost every day. Most of these people are not serious. Occasionally, one of these proposals catches my eye.

I usually ask for more information; a proposal, a CV, something. I almost never hear back. That’s how life works.

I often get excited about project ideas, but it’s important to keep one’s head on straight and make sure the person you’re dealing with is actually serious. Always have some next steps for them to complete in order to move whatever it is you’re doing forward. Only commit fully when they’ve demonstrated competence. This will save you from major headaches later.

I’m Really Fortunate Not to Live in a Police State

I just came back form a small vacation in Turkey. While I enjoyed the food and the environment, I began to notice just how much the Turkish regime is involved in daily life.

No matter where you look, you cannot escape Erdoğan and his associates; their faces are plastered absolutely everywhere. This is partly due to upcoming municipal elections, but even when I was in Istanbul last year, the president’s face was on the side of many buildings.

Another strange feature of these faces was the minimal text accompanying them. I can’t imagine an election poster in the United States that only contains the candidate’s face with no slogan or policy information whatsoever.

Police states usually pop up in low-trust societies. Turkey, in my opinion, is such a society.

The VPN I normally use didn’t work in Turkey, and airport-style security is ubiquitous. I’m happy to be in Georgia where people enjoy much more freedom, and even my home country is extremely free compared to Turkey.

Most Places Aren’t A Good Fit for You

I can count one hundred times on both hands how many times things weren’t a good fit for me. Jobs, relationships, nightclubs, book clubs, social media platforms, blah blah blah.

KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU.

Nobody can tell you what’s best for you, only you can. If everyone invests in crypto, but it rubs you the wrong way, DON’T DO IT. If everyone goes to Bassiani and you prefer a good dive bar (not giving away my spots), go there instead.

Disclaimer: If you’re under 25, experiment to find out what it is you like. If you’re over 25 (like me and most of my readership), lean into what works best for you.

I work on my own projects because I’m extremely disagreeable, and that’s okay. It took me many years to accept myself for who I am (still working on it). Try to do the same for yourself.

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Thank you for reading the first edition of What I learned this week. Please consider subscribing; I intend to release a new edition weekly.

Furthermore, I run an art gallery in Tbilisi for which I publish a separate weekly newsletter showcasing artist from Eastern Europe and around the world. I kindly ask, for those who are interested, to have a peek here.