Something different

A cool thing I got to do this summer (with video evidence!)

Hi there, sapiens,

I was on vacation last week and did my very best to unplug, so we’ve got something a little different today.

At the beginning of the summer,

Substack

and Cash Studios invited me to participate in Substack Originals, a video series showcasing writers on the platform. A few days later, I hopped on a train to New York City and was greeted by the creative team at an airy office in Chelsea. After spending some time admiring the space—exposed brick, tall windows, Polaroid photos (!) on the walls—I was ushered into a small, dark studio.

I sat on a tiny wooden chair, facing a sea of cameras, lights, and microphones. I talked about Techno Sapiens. I answered lots of questions. I read some of my writing. At one point, I wrote a few Haikus in under 60 seconds.

The whole thing was both slightly intimidating and incredibly cool.

As I walked out of the studio to find the nearest everything bagel, I felt a mix of pride, confusion (was it 5-7-5 syllables? Or 7-5-7?), and, mostly, gratitude. I got to talk about Techno Sapiens, why I do it and what it means to me, and to reflect on just how lucky I am to have this amazing community.

So, a big thanks to Substack, the team at Cash Studios, and mostly, all of you, sapiens. Thanks for being here. We’ll be back next week with more words and less video—though I can’t promise I won’t sneak in another Haiku.

Jackie