This digital garden is a living, breathing organism. These values are a guide towards nourishing it fruitfully. I hope this garden serves as your soul food, and I hope you'll help water a few plants as you explore.
Share stories, not articles
There's something so magnetic, so human, about a well-told story. Stories are the foundation of our faith systems, they have created empires, and they have been used to fuel global destruction. A story is not a tool to be trifled with.
Storytelling is who we are, it's in our bones. In a digital world filled with "articles" and "blogs" and "content pieces," this garden is a space to plant the seeds of really, truly captivating stories.
Make it essential, and eternal
Core to essentialism is the idea of less, but better. A priority is singular (although we like to incorrectly use the plural "priorities") and is addressed at the expense of everything non-essential.
I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.
It takes a great deal of effort to communicate more, with less. I'll endeavor to feed your infinite soul with my finite words. That requires pruning the non-essential narrative weeds until all that remains is the juicy and eternal fruit of good storytelling.
Allow space for messy growth
While I will aim to make this garden essential, I'd like to leave room for the imperfections of exploration. This means I'll publish public drafts, and it will take thoughtful pruning until they become the aforementioned juicy storytelling fruit.
Perfect is the enemy of good.
If you're only here for the bangers, then I'll make sure they are properly marked* so that you can avoid nascent, immature story seedlings. Learning in public alongside others is fantastic opportunity for growth. Perhaps every once in a while you'll consider stopping to admire some unripe fruit, knowing that one day they might mature into something delicious.
Create magical moments
As we grow up, we forget the wonder and imagination that comes with being a kid. When the world is fresh, things happen that you don't expect in ways that you don't understand.
As this garden grows, I hope it can become more than a list of content; I hope it can become an experience. That's vague, and sounds silly, but here are some ideas to help make this feel more real in the meantime.
Build with you, not for you
Lastly, a garden is place of community. Community is not something that you can build for people, it is something that is built in collaboration with people. I hope to incorporate you into the growth of this garden.
If you have an idea, or want to share something inspiring, I'd love to hear about it, and with your permission, credit you publicly for it!