Waves are Wednesdays

Astute readers will recognize that I have shared this image before. Well, they might recognize it. Actually, you probably don’t recall it. It was taken back in 2023, so unless you were following my ‘Waves are Words’ Facebook page back in 2023 (which I suspect many of you reading this now were not), you won’t recall seeing this image. And that’s okay!

Which brings me to my next point. Why am I doing what I’m doing?

As I actively take steps to move into the next chapter of my journey, I’ve been reflecting on my why. After all, having a ‘why’ is not just non-profit jargon to make kind people work for less than their market value in difficult, high-stress jobs. It’s the core essence of living life with intention. All actions are motivated by some ‘why’, but when we choose the ‘why’ that guides us…it provides us with freedom and clarity of purpose that can drive us towards being our best selves.

So why do I put out a twice-weekly ‘newsletter’ (that, lets be honest, is really more of a blog or a Substack without the branding)? Why did I dive headfirst into a photography style that makes my portfolio look like a blooper reel? Why did I delete my business Facebook page and my Facebook account when that was where I had my biggest following? Why did I [redacted] a couple weeks ago?

One word: Authenticity.

As we move into an AI-dominated world, one where our words and our images and our videos and…well, everything, is becoming artificially generated, it is important to me to plant my flag on the hill of humanity. To write my own words and create my own images, things solely and wholly mine. They may not be the most polished and I will concede that in matters of taste, you might not think they are any good. But I would rather be rejected for being myself than be accepted for following trends or chasing the zeitgeist.

And it is important to me to do those things to benefit myself and not the billionaire class. Sure, I had a bigger platform on Facebook and could have stayed over there and continued to grind it out. But I’d have been grinding for pennies while Mark Zuckerberg filled his pockets with hundreds. I’m more interested in sincere connection than I am with empty amplification.

That’s my ‘Why’. Well, that and you! Thank you for being a member of The Deans List. I am humbled by the fact that of all the things you could have chose right now, you chose this newsletter/blog/Substack-at-home. It means a great deal to me 😊 Thank you, friend!

See you around,

Jason