Add to List - #96

It’s my birthday and I’ll organise a poll if I want to….

Hello!

It’s my birthday. And as you’re reading this I’ll be drinking a martini somewhere in the city.

Birthdays are numbers— and numbers are often cause for a small dose of reflection. I’m wondering what 33 means. (Existentialism for one’s birthday? Groundbreaking.) This double integer is an angel number related to creativity, balance, and self-expression. (Seems fitting). In mathematics, in decimal format it signals recurrence. Does that mean if life doesn’t change enough this year I could be stuck in a purgatory of unachieved goals and pervasive societal pressures? (I hope not.) I do not want to end up spiritually semi-prime for eternity.

So, as a distraction, I thought I’d take the chance to reflect not only on my own existence, but on this weekly Substack. And, as my valued subscribers, I’d love your assistance in helping me shape the future. Will you do a wee favour for me?

a favour, you say?

There are only 4 publications of Add to List until I hit 100 of ‘em. (Time flies when you’re writing to set headers every Sunday) I’ve adored writing these musings with you lot every week. Reviewing my previous 7 days and sending it out (sometimes drunk, other times euphorically happy, and — truthfully — very often apathetically full of Sunday blues) is the online equivalent to a sip of a pint during a Sunday roast with friends. It’s real pick-me-up which I’d actually love to take to the pub with you all. Yet it would be a hard to find space big enough now— I cannot believe over 400 of you open these emails!? (**insert multiple crying face emojis**).

Honestly, when I started this Substack a while ago I really never thought anyone beyond my parents and maybe my four closest friends would care. (Shout out to the parents, btw: they’re my biggest fans, and I sincerely apologise to you both for having to occasionally read about my sex life through comedic subtext).

This publication started as a hobby, became an ideas playground, then moved into a side quest. Now, it’s just one of many ways I share my thoughts with the world. Substack is classified as a form of social media (ugh) yet this newsletter does truly feel social. I’ve met new friends via this platform, built a nourishing online community with my Substack wife, and for many people who I know (and even those who I don’t) this is my weekly mode of connecting you— sharing the highs and lows of my creative evolution.

That said, it is also a job. And I spin many, many plates. I only have as much time and energy as the next human. So as I hit the big milestone of 100 Add to Lists in about a month, I plan to pause these instalments, at least for December. I’ll be resting; eating many a festive meal, going to the pub. I’ll also make space to carve out other bits of work and think about what direction this ‘stack goes in next. And here’s where you come in: I’d like your help with that.

So now, on to the birthday wish you can grant me. I’d love to know: do you like Add to List? If so, what do you love about it? What do you want to see more of? What topics do you find yourself drawn to? Complete the poll below, add your thoughts directly in the comments, or feel to drop me a DM.

Thank you for reading, for accepting the half-baked ideas, for ignoring any typos (hey, at least you have proof it’s definitely not written by AI), and for letting my thoughts come to the boil with you all in real time. I appreciate each and every single one of you.

Note: If you somehow found yourself here without being a free (or paid) subscriber then you won’t be able to complete the below. You know what to do.

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