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In the early 2010s, I was guilty of perpetuating the ‘do what you love, love what you do’ gospel. As someone who genuinely relished the challenge of putting together a new magazine, the mantra felt authentic – at least for me. By the late 2010s, I’d swung pretty hard the other way, convinced that work – and our desperate need to define ourselves through it – was keeping us trapped in unsustainable cycles, all while feeding an economy where the many toil for the few.
These days, I’ve found my footing somewhere in the middle. I’ve deliberately cut back on work to be more present for friends, neighbours, family, myself. Work still occupies a pretty central place in my life. This newsletter continues to inspire me, exposing me to new perspectives and helping me process ideas through other people’s wisdom. It’s work that feels meaningful, even when it feels like work.
Writer Maalvika has perfectly captured the pitfalls of both extremes in her recent essay on why we’re lying to young people about work. She takes aim at the toxic positivity of passion culture and the equally problematic trend of treating any discomfort as evidence we’re on the wrong path.
“We tell them that if they just find their passion, work will magically transform into endless joy, as if difficulty is just a symptom of being in the wrong job rather than an inevitable part of doing anything worthwhile. As if work were some unfortunate byproduct of insufficient enthusiasm rather than the very engine of human flourishing.”
She’s critical of the modern tendency to avoid the friction necessary for good things to happen: “Gen Z has been raised on the mantra of ‘protecting your peace’, the idea that anything causing stress or discomfort should be eliminated from your life. This advice, while well-intentioned, has created a generation allergic to necessary friction. ... Everything worth having lives on the other side of effort. Everything good requires tending. Everything beautiful demands maintenance.”
I loved her take on motivation vs. discipline – something the German in me can very much relate to:
“Motivation is weather: changeable, unpredictable, often absent when you need it most. Discipline is climate: the steady, reliable conditions you create for yourself regardless of how you feel on any given day.”
Here’s what we should should expect from our work: “Good work should do at least one of these things: fund the life you actually want to live, align with values you can defend at dinner parties, surround you with people who challenge you to grow, or teach you skills that compound like interest over decades.”
This is a much more nuanced advice than either ‘follow your passion’ or ‘it’s just a job’. As she explains so eloquently in her essay, sometimes the most honest thing we can tell young people – and ourselves – is that meaningful work will be both harder than expected and more rewarding than imagined, often on the very same day. – Kai
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Game-Changing Creative CampaignsSPONSOR
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Trend watch: the most innovative campaigns
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Apps & Sites
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A workspace for freelancers and small business owners to keep client communication, questionnaires, contracts and invoices in one place. Unlike most other invoicing apps, it’s designed to handle the entire client journey – from first inquiry to final payment. You can also set up automations to send replies, reminders or documents automatically.
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A simple iOS app that helps you track anything you lend or borrow – from money to objects – so you stay organised and avoid awkward follow-ups. Features include automatic reminders, person-based overviews and Apple ecosystem integration (widgets, iCloud Sync, Siri support, etc).
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MeetingBar is a lightweight macOS menu bar app that quietly keeps a list of all your upcoming video calls. Click on one to join the meeting or create new one with a single click. It’s free, open source and supports over 50 different video conferencing services.
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A volunteer-run wiki offering practical, ever-evolving guidance for anyone trying to create social change. It’s a shared space to learn from others’ experience, whether you’re planning your first action or building a long-term movement.
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Worthy Five: Keenan
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Five recommendations by visual & verbal artist Keenan
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A video worth watching:
In Search of a Flat Earth is perhaps peak video essay, and I mean that in the least derogatory way possible. If you want a thoughtful examination of how conspiratorial thinking proliferates nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more hellish and entertaining example.
A question worth asking:
Any time I experience an extreme reaction to something, I become very skeptical about it and start asking why it is provoking that reaction. On the modern internet, it is oftentimes because it is designed to do exactly that (algorithms!). This has helped me cull a lot of unhealthy habits – like mindlessly scrolling on Twitter, Reddit, etc.
A concept worth understanding:
Learning about switchtracking has helped me reframe how I approach receiving prickly feedback, especially from loved ones. Think of it as yet another tool in the emotional intelligence toolbox, keeping you focused on the actual subject and not letting moments of contention spiral into unnecessary argument.
A word worth knowing:
The German word for ‘bagpipes’ is Dudelsack and I hope this introduces as much whimsy into your life as it has mine.
A podcast worth listening to:
As someone born in 1986, 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s resonates with me in a very deep, spiritual, parasocially-creepy way. Rob Harvilla’s masterful writing and delivery of each new essay is enthralling, hilarious, and oftentimes super validating.
(Did you know? Friends of DD can respond to and engage with guest contributors like Keenan in one click.)
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Books & Accessories
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A new vision for shared ownership
Help publish this book and become a co-owner: in We Should Own the Economy Elle Griffin argues for a reimagined capitalism in which wealth and power are more widely distributed through shared ownership of businesses, capital and governance structures. The book is both a manifesto and a collaborative research project, inviting readers to co-invest in a more equitable economic future where everyone benefits from prosperity.
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Understanding the roots of your reactions
This book gently explores how the patterns we inherit from childhood shape how we relate to ourselves and others. It’s an invitation to notice, understand and, where needed, shift the emotional habits we carry forward. “From licensed therapist and relationship expert Vienna Pharaon comes a profound guide to understanding and overcoming wounds from your Family of Origin – the foundation of how we relate to others, ourselves, and the world around us.”
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Overheard on the Socials
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Hey Germans, please come up with a word that means ‘the fear of typing return vs shift-return because you don’t know which inserts newline and which sends the message’.
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Food for Thought
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Maalvika Bhat with a fantastic piece that every parent and non-parent should read: she turns the ‘Do what you love, love what you do’ adage we perpetuate on young people upside down, arguing that struggle is part of making life meaningful and that passion alone won’t make you a ‘successful’ adult – but discipline will. “We cannot keep buying the fallacy that everything meaningful should feel effortless, including the relationships that make life worth living. The work doesn’t vanish when you find your passion. The work, hopefully, becomes workable.”
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Adrienne Matei describes the concept of ‘hypernormalisation’ – a strange reality where people continue their daily lives despite the collapse of larger systems around them. As our society faces crises like climate disasters and political instability, many of us feel a disconnect between our routines and the dysfunction we observe. Understanding this hypernormalisation can help us feel less isolated and prompts us towards collective action for change. “When we feel powerless in the face of bigger problems, we ‘turn to the only thing that we do have the power over, to try and change for the better’, says Curtis – meaning, typically, ourselves. Anxiety and fear can trap us, leading us to spend more time trying to feel better in small, personal ways, like entertainment and self-care, and less time on activism and community engagement.”
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This is essentially a short summary of a much longer piece from NOEMA titled A New Political Compass in which Dan Zimmer argues that the future of politics may shift from left vs. right to a new divide of ‘Up’ vs. ‘Down’, which represents the clash between technological advancement and ecological sustainability. The Up group embraces AI and rapid tech growth (‘Aim for Mars!’), while the Down group focuses on preserving the environment. “If the Far Up is correct in viewing human beings as the vehicle for freeing Life from its biological shackles, then the Down-wing’s drive to relinquish technical mastery needlessly condemns Life to perish on Earth. ... One group promises that everything can be improved, while the other warns of the ease with which everything can be destroyed.”
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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I love the simplicity, yet surprising depth of the work by Istanbul-based illustrator and artist Kemal Şanlı. His artwork is thoughtful without being overly polished, and remains open to interpretation. A small selection of his work is available as prints.
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French street artist Mantra creates large-scale, hyper-realistic murals, often depicting insects, birds and other natural subjects. His work celebrates the non-human world – often unexpected, always detailed.
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Last week I came across the stunning Skovbrynet Basecamp, a Danish housing project with a lush, park-like landscape, featuring a public path that winds up the six-storey building to a rooftop of tall grasses, trees and private terraces. The soft, organic design of the trails – both around and atop the building – preserves the area’s green character while inviting movement, connection and quiet moments with nature.
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Font of the week: Norko is a geometric sans serif with flared terminals and a subtle retro twist, designed to bring sharp clarity and personality to bold, cinematic or modern editorial layouts.
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Notable Numbers
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Global military spending reached its lowest point of $1.2 trillion in the late 1990s. Since then, military spending has more than doubled, reaching $2.7 trillion in 2024.
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The total number of children that US Americans ages 20 to 39 planned to have, on average, dropped from 2.3 in 2012 to 1.8 in 2023. 2.1 is about the average number of children, per woman, that a population needs to replace itself over time.
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The low number above may be in part because of the cost of child care: In the US, the average annual cost of care in 2024 was $13,128, a 29 percent increase since 2020 – outpacing even inflation. On average, a married couple earning the median annual income in their state is draining about 10 percent of their earnings on child care. A single parent spends 35 (!) percent of their income on child care.
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Classifieds
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Dave Smyth is an independent designer creating websites, design systems and digital products. I collaborate with developers and in-house teams to bring design intent to life.
Wrote a weird, ambitious book – Fatamorgana. ChatGPT: ‘cult classic’ Friends: ‘masterpiece’ I’ll pay $100 if you read it. Am I delusional? sarahmajdov@gmail.com
Alphabeticon is an app that lets your text stand out. Animate your letters, express your mood and create unique messages that suit the occasion best! Easy use with WhatsApp etc.
Create a website with Readymag, share it on Community templates, and get seen and paid for your work. No fees, no gatekeeping.
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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