🌲 TREE 110: Unsyncable

Most of the time I feel out of sync with my peers and my culture. It’s like I’m swimming in the same river as everyone else, but I’m coming up for air at a different time. I’m seeing different things. Except for when I’m failing at small talk during social events (remember those?), I think it’s fine. I think it’s actually necessary for what I do.

In my day job as a graphic designer, I make things for companies that are moving ahead into something new. In my TREE job, I’m trying to show you reality from a slightly different angle. If I was perfectly in sync with everyone around me, I couldn’t do either of those things. I think the out-of-sync gap is where new ideas get in.

Maybe you feel out of sync too? It could be alienating. It could be frustrating. It could also be why you are creative in the way you are. It might be the reason you can do what you do.

It’s okay to be unsyncable. Put it to good use.

I’ve been looking forward to this announcement since the beginning of TREE.

Next week’s guest author is photographer Rachel Devine!

Here’s what I’m supposed to say about her: Rachel Devine is a visual storyteller documenting life in pictures since the age of fourteen. She has been taking pictures of people professionally since 1995 and oversharing online since 2004. Sesame Ellis is her porn name – long story, but the lesson there is to choose your screen name wisely.

Here’s what I’m also saying about her: It doesn’t matter if Rachel is photographing people, raising kids, emigrating to Australia, navigating illness, confronting ageing or getting through lockdown – she turns it all into beautiful pictures. The last couple years, the words she’s been putting with her photos have been especially good. Rachel and I have chosen five photos + words to share with you next week.

Please follow her immediately: instagram.com/sesameellis

Happy Friday!
Jeff

I have loved this song since I first heard it when I was, I think, 13.

The Memory of TREE playlist: every song from every email: