Introducing Curations

I’m proud of the re-write I’ve made towards curations. The idea behind this was to combine the things that I’ve liked, consumed, gestated on, and share with you my thoughts about different things that matter to me.

For my books, I wanted the feeling you get at the bookstore where I write a short blurb about why you should pick up this book. I would spend the first few minutes reading the index cards nicely decorated about why the staff member chose a specific book. There was more potential for a chance encounter. When I read listicles online, there’s often a sense of sameness. It’s not as fun when websites all feel the same.

The same about films in a video store. I love the feeling you get, back when video stores were more popular, about staffpicks. Some small streaming services have this feeling, like FilmStruck, and more recently the Criterion Channel. When the Netflix algorithm is feeding you, or for that matter any algorithm, that hand-feel of someone’s journey into film has turned into “this is what thousands of people in your target demographic cohort also like”. And there’s something missing from that. I want to share what I like about a film, or dislike. And I also want to share why other people appear to have similar or dissonant feelings about it.

People shouldn’t feel boxed into groups of “books I like”, “movies I like”, and “music I like”. It makes everything feel dull, like these are the only categories that define our dating profile. And while I’m starting off with the books and music, I can think of other things I want to curate in the future. One thing people might not know about me is I own a 20+ year old business card collection. It reminds me of places I’ve traveled or people I’ve met. I also want to share a inspirational persons curation of people who I love and have made an impact.

Aside from everything else, I want my personal MySpace back. Back in the day, you would have a customized profile page where you make it play your favorite music, share your favorite lousy quotes, and give it your own personal flair. Even if that flair was like design vomit. It was your vomit. So with that, I’m having a little fun giving you multiple perspectives on what is essentially a listicle. But it’s my listicle. And I can call it something other than a listicle. Like an curated art exhibit. That sounds so much more sophisticated. You’re welcome.

If you missed the link above, check out curations!