On Recommendations + Suggestions

Newsletter + On This Day

Sep 18, 2024

Writer Seth Godin has been recommended and suggested to me FOR YEARS.

“Read his blog or his books,” friends said.
“Watch his TED Talk,” colleagues said.
Often and repeatedly. But I didn’t listen.

Long story short, I prefer to find inspiration in my own time. Frankly, I tend to run away from anything that feels too popular or sounds too good to be true. So I didn’t explore the man or his work—not even a little.

In case you missed it, I can be a stubborn contrarian.

Overnight, my frenemy Insomnia showed up (uninvited as usual), waking me up for no good reason. After I realized she was gonna stay awhile, I turned on YouTube (my other frenemy) and watched the suggested podcast interview above. Despite the “Don’t Be Authentic” clickbait thumbail, YouTube’s Al/Algorithm knows how (and when) to get to me.

Long story short: What a remarkable hour! So much of what Godin shared was exactly what I needed to hear. I think the podcast host did too, but I’m not sure she was ready for his generous, monk-like recommendations and suggestions. I can relate.

One of the many things that struck me over the head was realizing how much time I’ve spent dodging this man and his work…all because one too many people said I might learn a thing or two from him.

It’s not just stubbornness (though there’s plenty of that). For me, I like to think that discovering things on my own makes the journey and the reward more meaningful. Usually. But let’s just say, after that hour with Mr. Godin, I’m eager to learn more from this blogging and marketing legend. I’ve avoided him long enough.

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready... The teacher will Disappear.”
Tao Te Ching

There are a few things I wish I’d let myself learn sooner, but one of the biggest is this: There's real value in letting others guide you toward something worthwhile. While I used to think that if someone suggested a book, talk, or podcast it wouldn’t resonate because it wasn’t my discovery, I now know better.

There’s a unique kind of growth that happens when you embrace a little guidance—when you realize that inspiration isn’t always about where it comes from, but about when it arrives. Maybe, like me, you’re not ready until you’re ready.

Another thing I wish I had learned sooner? Perfection is the enemy of done.

Godin talks about showing up and working, like professionals so, even when things aren’t perfect. Personally and professionally, I’ve spent far too long waiting for things to be just right before sharing (or sometimes even starting) them.

In my experience, most don’t mind a few rough edges, a little imperfection. Perfection can be cold and impersonal. So I’m doing my best to embrace sharing work I feel is better than just okay, but isn’t exactly perfect either.

Lastly, I wish I’d embraced this idea sooner: The work you put out isn’t about you. It’s about the impact it has on others. Creativity can feel deeply personal, but the moment it’s shared, it’s about connection.

For me, in the Author’s Note for Torch Song Trilogy, Harvey Fierstein summed up what I hope all my creations and curations do:

“Like a gaudy East Indian purse; outrageous in color, embroidered in cliché design, the worth of these plays lies ultimately in the tiny mirrors woven into the fabric wherein we catch our reflections. Perhaps you’ll see a little of yourself on the phone with Arnold’s “Why don’t you love me anymore?” call. Or maybe find yourself in Laurel’s “Just because I said that’s what I want doesn’t mean that I’m ready for it” logic. Or it might be while reading Mrs. Beckoff you’ll stop and smile, “That’s my Mother.” Any little thing that makes you feel less alone is what and why these plays are.”

Thanks for reading, recommending, and suggesting!
Clint

FOUND PHOTOS+ OF THE DAY

Louis Stettner - Announcements - e-flux — PEPE AND TONY, SPANISH FISHERMEN BY LOUIS STETTNER

Louis Stettner (American, 1922-2016) 'Concentric Circles, Construction Site, New York' [Círculos concéntricos, obra, Nueva York] 1952 — CONCENTRIC CIRCLES, CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEW YORK BY LOUIS STETTNER

ON THIS DAY = SEPTEMBER 18

BIRTHDAYS

GRETA GARBO (1905)
Actor + Art Collector
EDWARD SAGARIN (1913)
Founded the first gay bookstore, started the first gay mail-order service in the United States, and authored of The Homosexual in America, the first non-fiction, insider account of the American LGBTQ community. Writing under the pseudonym Donald Webster Cory, he was one of the first to proclaim that gay people constituted a minority group similar to African Americans and Jews. His book politicized so many young men and women who went on to become LGBTQ activists that Cory has been dubbed the “father of the homophile movement.” Leveraging the names and addresses of the thousands of men and women who wrote praising his book, Cory founded the Cory Book Service in 1952, the first independent business devoted exclusively to selling books on LGBTQ topics. By identifying, reviewing, and selling gay fiction and nonfiction, the Cory Book Service not only encouraged and popularized LGBTQ literature, it was one of the first national LGBTQ organizations. Its mailing list was instrumental in the founding of ONE Magazine, the major homophile periodical of the 1950s. In April 1953, Cory expanded his successful mail-order service to open The Book Cellar, the first bookstore tailored to the gay market. Gore Vidal and other gay authors occasionally did book signings at the bookstore. Cory described it as a “small but very personal place” that he hoped would become both a local and national destination. While The Book Cellar lasted only a few years, the Cory Book Service developed a wide and loyal following, reaching more than five thousand subscribers under its successor organization The Winston Book Club. It inspired over a dozen similar LGBTQ mail-order book services, including the Guild Book Service (by H. Lynn Womack), the DOB Book Service (by the Daughters of Bilitis), and the Dorian Book Service (by Hal Call). Hal Call of the San Francisco-based Mattachine Society was the first to turn his Dorian Book Service into a successful storefront bookstore. In March 1967, Call partnered with Bob Damron and Harrison Keleinschmidt (aka J.D. Mercer) to open the Adonis Bookstore in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, around the corner from the Club Turkish Baths and Compton’s Cafeteria. It featured books, magazines, paintings, physique art, gay greeting cards, records, sculptures, novelties, and gifts. Promotional material touted it as a “gay supermarket.”