I’ve been trying to figure out how to start blogging regularly again, mainly because I’ve given up on microblogging platforms in general and believe that in the current state of the internet, having your own space is the best thing you can do. One trick that works for me to develop a habit is to create a semi-strict format that has a regular date and time. That’s why I decided to start this weekly post format on my blog (which also goes out as a newsletter if you prefer to read it that way).

I know Sundays are the day for these kinds of weekly posts and newsletters but I decided to go with Mondays for two reasons. One, many newsletters and blogs I regularly read has a Sunday post, meaning most of the current and potential readers of this blog already has enough to read on Sundays. Two, I’m hoping that starting my week with something I have to write and use that to set my weekly mood will help me spend the rest of the week even more productive. Let’s see how it’ll work out.

So, yeah, this is something I will be putting out every Monday. If you’re not already following my blog, you can do that via RSS or subscribe it as a newsletter below.

When you’re living in a country that hates being economically stable and culturally conservative, having a career or professional history like mine becomes much more interesting. Running your own business becomes extra stressful and you’ll have an even harder time explaining whatever that your job is.

But from the start I knew I’d end up with a life like this. Not because I enjoy living with constant stress and anxiety but I know this is how I can do my best and I can say that it was worth all the trouble. This is why I finally took that step to start my own independent studio earlier this year.

Since then, I’m focused on two things. First one is to get out there and make sure people are actually aware of what you’re doing so that I can get some work. This one is a mixed bag. On the positive side, I’m getting in touch with friends in the field to learn from them and let them know about what I’m up to. But on the negative side, I’m really bad at self-promotion so what I do is probably a complete mystery for most people. I know I need to figure out ways to become more visible and social media is the first step everyone thinks for that. But when I look at my feeds or what some of the “more visible ones” are doing, I want to start screaming. That’s why I’m stuck on that step.

I’m hoping to solve this problem by making use of my blogs (Tuhaf Gelecek on the Turkish side) because that’s the only way out I could think of. I’ve set up ways to federate all my posts to every platform WordPress Jetpack allows and some more. I’m not sure if I’ll stay just with writing or experiment with some other formats right now but this feels like the best way to start putting some things out there.

Second thing I’m focused on is to study futures and foresight in a deep way to develop my approach further. I think my philosopher side got really excited about all of that because I ended up with a long reading list, which I’m going through like a university student right now. (Let me know if you think that list sounds interesting and I can make a blog post about it.)

I love nerding out about things like this but the main reason why I’m focused on this is mostly related to things I see on the field. Western approach to the future feels really stuck and getting more and more conservative, which makes them even more attached to their exceptionalism. While they’re crying after a dead future, rest of the world has a completely different and much more justifiably optimistic approach to the future. And one of the things I love about being from and living in Turkey is that being neither here nor there creates a really interesting mix. My main goal is to figure out how to turn “living in the limbo” into my advantage.

I’m a big Deftones fan and their latest album private music is pretty much everything I’d expect from a Deftones album. The whole album is on the loop for a while and this is one of my favorites from it.

“Only if we stop reducing the radical and unprecedented situation facing us, either with rewarmed ideological polarities – autocracy v. democracy – or the intellectual bludgeon of “that’s just history”, do we have any hope of making sense of our circumstances and of actually thinking in medias res.”

Chartbook 407: Polycrisis revisited: Are we beyond Neoliberal Order Breakdown Syndrome?

“I came to realize that for many buyers, a storyline isn’t necessary. In fact, the absence of one might make these characters even more appealing. You can project anything onto them — your personality, your mood, your values. It will never go out of its character (unlike many human idols who might one day upset their fans).”

Pop Mart — China’s Disney, or a manipulated hype? China’s New Consumption #2

“Success in safety lacks spectacle: it depends less on personal heroism than it does on following the rules. But it works.”

A brazen attack on air safety is underway — here’s what’s at stake | The Verge

I think that’s all from me for this week. Like Jay, I’m also one of those who feels like September is the start of a new year. I feel like this is a really good way to start.

Let me know what you think about the format and I’ll see you around!