Green thumbs [13-Oct-24]

Make the apartment green again

Hello there!

For the past few days, Melbourne has *finally* given some consistent Spring weather. Though as any Melburnian will tell you, this can change at a moment’s notice. This meme sums it up nicely…

How have you been? What’s the weather been like in your part of the world? Hit “reply” and let me know! Housekeeping stuff below as usual!

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Creative update

This week, I spent most of my time getting back into the swing of work and helping one of the start-ups with video editing. After cranking out 5 or 6 videos, I found myself creatively tapped out. None of these are live yet, so I can’t share them, but in the meantime, here are a couple of links to previous projects... Stay tuned for more updates soon!

Youtube - How 3 months at Stanford changed my life.
The title is Youtube hyperbole at it’s best, but also very true given my experience…

Youtube - Don’t like ironing? This is for you!
To this day, I have no idea why *this* is the most viewed video on the channel😂

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Things I’m reading

Never Play it Safe - Chase Jarvis*

I’ve followed Chase Jarvis for over a decade now. You might know him as a photographer (that's how I discovered him), but he's also an entrepreneur who recently sold his edtech startup. His latest book, Never Play it Safe, covers the lessons he’s learned on his journey from wanting to be a creative, changing paths due to family/peer-pressure and almost becoming a doctor to betting on himself and embracing creativity.

I’m about a third of the way through, and while some parts feel familiar because I’ve followed his work for so long, there are new insights that feel like they arrived at the perfect time. It’s packed with some powerful quotes that I’m already saving for later.

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Cool finds

Kindle Scribe*

If you've been here for a while, you know how much I love having pen input on my tech! There are some incredible e-ink readers with top-notch pen functionality, but they’re often crazy expensive. So when the Prime Day Sale hit, I jumped on the chance to grab the Kindle Scribe. It’s not only great for reading, but it’s also the perfect distraction-free tool for note-taking. Unlike a full tablet, it’s just books and notes—no apps, no distractions!

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Actionable insight

You should have a favourite plant. Even if it’s a cactus.

Mine is a spider plant (looks nothing like a spider, thankfully!) that my mum gave me when I moved into my old apartment. Very promptly, my cat started chewing on the leaves. Turns out, spider plants can give cats hallucinations and a mild high, so I finally learnt that one of my cats was an addict! 😂

Over the years, this plant has been through many pots and moves, adapting to survive. It’s a low-maintenance plant, just needing a weekly watering, and that’s something I appreciate more than I thought I would. My weekly watering routine has become oddly meditative. It’s a small act of responsibility that grounds me, even for a moment. If you’re not the “weekly care” type, maybe a cactus or ZZ plant would suit you better, but there’s something to be said for caring for a living thing, even if it asks for almost nothing.

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Weekly Update

This was my first “official” week back to normal. After returning early, work had been fairly light until now. I’ve also hit the point where I can’t put off starting my course for the next phase of my sabbatical.

It’s been a weird balance. On one hand, I’ve been indulging in the freedom—sleeping in, playing computer games, and avoiding a strict schedule. On the other hand, I’ve realized how much I thrive with some structure. So, I’m both dreading and looking forward to getting back into the flow of things.

One of the ways I’ve dragged on the last bit of freedom was to re-pot most of the plants in the apartment. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for literally years but always assumed it’d be a very messy affair and that I’d need access to a garden or a spot outdoors. Turns out, that is not the case at all.

It was both odd and fascinating pulling the plants out from where they’ve been sitting for the past few years. Just have a look at the shape of their roots!

It was strangely fascinating to pull the plants out after all this time and see how their roots had shaped themselves to fit their pots. As I was untangling them, it struck me: these plants had grown within the confines of their containers, and their roots took the shape of whatever space they were given.

It felt like a metaphor for life. We all grow within certain boundaries, whether set by ourselves or by others, but every now and then, we need to break out of our old containers and see if a bigger space might fit us better…

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Quote of the week

This week’s one features in Chase Jarvis’ book* but is from Paulo Coelho…