This wonderful post extolling creativity and beauty seems to be in sharp contrast to a recent email from Substack regarding 'how we might get paid'. It suggested a possible linkage to Apple, presumably to the App Store and all things Apple.
Many comments came from Substack authors regarding the higher costs for authors and the possibility of a corporation exerting its various forms of censorship on authors.
As the co-founder of Substack, you have created an amazing community of creative authors. Yes, some write about the difficulties in the world, but others offer us poetry, fiction, recipes and simple reflections on their lives. Many of us manage to eek out a meager income from this work, but it feels like honest work and we have a moderate amount of control over our creative lives.
I hope that the comments of authors at Substack made it clear to you that we deeply appreciate the environment that exists for us at Substack. Despite any increase in audience exposure, there seemed little interest in jumping into a mass commercialization venue.
Please keep Substack free of big corporations. Please protect us from that fate.
Hamish, Happy Birthday to you! Thanks for all you do, giving writers, artists, photographers and creatives a space here on the internet that is like no other. I appreciate being able to share beauty here everyday with my "Words and Pictures"!
After miraculous week of backpacking in the Wallowas, I convinced my hike-mates
To wait out a thunderstorm in the Nez Perce Cultural Center. Seeing my friend admire a water color in the gift shop, I commented that it depicted many of the themes we had discussed on the hike and that he should support the local/native art community. At the register, we were delighted to see one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen as the painting had been done by the person volunteering at the register. Energetiv conversation revealed that she had been a beloved Principal at my daughter’s primary school 6-hours drive and nearly 20’years before. Beauty, arts, community sure do make beautiful ties.
And as for beauty, my creation of a new science has within its theory a kind of balanced dualism that is also of a beautiful nature. In this duality Hamlet would have claimed: "To be and not to be, this is the answer!" No I'm not crazy, but I do see things more generally, supply and demand are equal but opposite, and although we seek to satisfy our desires using the least effort, these desires are unlimited. Thus two opposite happen simultaneously.
If you are into the way macroeconomics is being badly confused and wish to see what is wrong with it, and how it is possible by the use of logical thinking and analyses to better understand it as true science, then ask me for a free e-copy of my book "Consequential Macroeconomics" and blow clear all your past confusion! chestdher@gmail.com
I was writing a lengthy comment in wishing you a happy birthday while passing on some helpful hints from this 78-year-old man that I hoped would be useful to you and all who love beauty enough to worship and protect it.
However, my writing was interrupted when everything went berserk and my writing was gone.
Thank you for your essay on remembering the beauty in the simple things a life can bring. The nick cave interview was lovely and I agree we all must be careful and watchful and hopefully stop any mass AI destruction of the creativity and sheer emotional exuberance music can elicit in us as once or if AI takes it over, so very much will be lost. 🥳
Thank you Hamish, for staying with beauty-is-possible, and even and perhaps especially when we create art and write with the rough material of our lives. And yes, there are all these small shining moments, which, by creating art, we can hold together alongside the tough-stuff, and create complete pictures. Bring balance to the page.
Well Hamish, I just want to say how much I appreciate this beautiful place you and your team of geniuses created here in cyberspace where we can all exchange ideas, hopes and dreams, and yes, as you point out — resonate with the beauty of this precious planet spinning around the sun. In order to fulfill your suggestion to celebrate the beauty, I try to temper my writing about the harsh vicissitudes with frequent photographic essays focused on Pacha Mama’s charms as reflected during my sojourns in a favorite local nature preserve. Thanks for posting the shot of your beautiful neighborhood with the bridge in the distance. And thanks for the uplifting commentary and the link to the interview with Nick Cave. It’s all about connections to people like Cave that makes real community possible. Happy Birthday!
As they say...good on ya. Life becomes more and more mainly about appreciating and being aware, I think. I say at age 70. Interesting interview, too. Happy birthday!
"Good culture is, in part, about recognizing and celebrating beauty. You can choose to see it, and, if you do, then you get to live a better life—a good life. This isn’t to deny that there is suffering, but it makes it so that the suffering can be in service of beauty, instead of collapsed into despair."
I was once at a screening for the documentary "Over 90 & Loving It," and a 106-year-old woman, who was part of the film, told the audience, "I just want to tell you one thing: 'It's ALL so wonderful.'" Interestingly, that doc was made by Susan Polis Schutz, mother of the current governor of Colorado, Jared Polis.
Hello Hamish,
This wonderful post extolling creativity and beauty seems to be in sharp contrast to a recent email from Substack regarding 'how we might get paid'. It suggested a possible linkage to Apple, presumably to the App Store and all things Apple.
Many comments came from Substack authors regarding the higher costs for authors and the possibility of a corporation exerting its various forms of censorship on authors.
As the co-founder of Substack, you have created an amazing community of creative authors. Yes, some write about the difficulties in the world, but others offer us poetry, fiction, recipes and simple reflections on their lives. Many of us manage to eek out a meager income from this work, but it feels like honest work and we have a moderate amount of control over our creative lives.
I hope that the comments of authors at Substack made it clear to you that we deeply appreciate the environment that exists for us at Substack. Despite any increase in audience exposure, there seemed little interest in jumping into a mass commercialization venue.
Please keep Substack free of big corporations. Please protect us from that fate.
Hamish, Happy Birthday to you! Thanks for all you do, giving writers, artists, photographers and creatives a space here on the internet that is like no other. I appreciate being able to share beauty here everyday with my "Words and Pictures"!
Helping others grow beauty is a most excellent goal.
After miraculous week of backpacking in the Wallowas, I convinced my hike-mates
To wait out a thunderstorm in the Nez Perce Cultural Center. Seeing my friend admire a water color in the gift shop, I commented that it depicted many of the themes we had discussed on the hike and that he should support the local/native art community. At the register, we were delighted to see one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen as the painting had been done by the person volunteering at the register. Energetiv conversation revealed that she had been a beloved Principal at my daughter’s primary school 6-hours drive and nearly 20’years before. Beauty, arts, community sure do make beautiful ties.
A wonderful story 💞
I remember being 43! I’m 43 now, but not for long. You’re the man, Hamish.
I don't remember being 43 years young. It was only 44 years ago so perhaps I'm excused.
And as for beauty, my creation of a new science has within its theory a kind of balanced dualism that is also of a beautiful nature. In this duality Hamlet would have claimed: "To be and not to be, this is the answer!" No I'm not crazy, but I do see things more generally, supply and demand are equal but opposite, and although we seek to satisfy our desires using the least effort, these desires are unlimited. Thus two opposite happen simultaneously.
If you are into the way macroeconomics is being badly confused and wish to see what is wrong with it, and how it is possible by the use of logical thinking and analyses to better understand it as true science, then ask me for a free e-copy of my book "Consequential Macroeconomics" and blow clear all your past confusion! chestdher@gmail.com
As we say over at Hot Globe: "Enlightenment is intimacy with all things" (Dogen, 13th century)
I was writing a lengthy comment in wishing you a happy birthday while passing on some helpful hints from this 78-year-old man that I hoped would be useful to you and all who love beauty enough to worship and protect it.
However, my writing was interrupted when everything went berserk and my writing was gone.
Happy birthday, Mr McKenzie.
Thank you for your essay on remembering the beauty in the simple things a life can bring. The nick cave interview was lovely and I agree we all must be careful and watchful and hopefully stop any mass AI destruction of the creativity and sheer emotional exuberance music can elicit in us as once or if AI takes it over, so very much will be lost. 🥳
Thank you Hamish, for staying with beauty-is-possible, and even and perhaps especially when we create art and write with the rough material of our lives. And yes, there are all these small shining moments, which, by creating art, we can hold together alongside the tough-stuff, and create complete pictures. Bring balance to the page.
I choose to grow beauty as well.
Well Hamish, I just want to say how much I appreciate this beautiful place you and your team of geniuses created here in cyberspace where we can all exchange ideas, hopes and dreams, and yes, as you point out — resonate with the beauty of this precious planet spinning around the sun. In order to fulfill your suggestion to celebrate the beauty, I try to temper my writing about the harsh vicissitudes with frequent photographic essays focused on Pacha Mama’s charms as reflected during my sojourns in a favorite local nature preserve. Thanks for posting the shot of your beautiful neighborhood with the bridge in the distance. And thanks for the uplifting commentary and the link to the interview with Nick Cave. It’s all about connections to people like Cave that makes real community possible. Happy Birthday!
As they say...good on ya. Life becomes more and more mainly about appreciating and being aware, I think. I say at age 70. Interesting interview, too. Happy birthday!
You have contributed Hamish. Just please keep this Substack ship sailing in the right direction.
One of the reasons I like Substack is I didn’t see one Note mocking/bullying Raygun. Something is working here.
Thanks Hamish. That Nick Cave interview really resonated. So I wrote this https://thekaka.substack.com/p/introducing-the-kaka-project-of-2026 partly to get away from the flood of anxiety-making news I get swamped in. Substack allows me to do this.
An excellent response Bernard, to such a superb post. Hope springs eternal. Thanks for leading me to this substack.
Truth:
"Good culture is, in part, about recognizing and celebrating beauty. You can choose to see it, and, if you do, then you get to live a better life—a good life. This isn’t to deny that there is suffering, but it makes it so that the suffering can be in service of beauty, instead of collapsed into despair."
I was once at a screening for the documentary "Over 90 & Loving It," and a 106-year-old woman, who was part of the film, told the audience, "I just want to tell you one thing: 'It's ALL so wonderful.'" Interestingly, that doc was made by Susan Polis Schutz, mother of the current governor of Colorado, Jared Polis.