I’m one of the 2.9 million failing artists on Spotify.
As a kid, I loved to write poetry. I had a dedicated notepad, a partner in crime, kept hidden in a shoebox under my bed. The writing of the words, the painting of invisible pictures on the yellow tinted pages gave me great joy and an early sense of acquired freedom.
This elevated state came at a price, though. It was accompanied by a lingering feeling of shame. Who was I to value my own words in such a way? …
When self-consciousness stands in the way of our full potential.
We’ve been hiding something with great care and shame. We’ve been playing younger, acting innocent and naive. But under our shallow disguise, we’re wiser than we think we are.
What Ever Happened to Wisdom?
Ancient Greece gave birth to a great deal of wisdom. Philosophy was a pillar of society; seeking truth was a way to grow closer to the gods. The great Greek thinkers were storytellers, mouthpiece of the past.
They understood that wisdom was buried in the stories, and myths passed on through the ages. Generations, one after another, carefully carried messages of enlightenment covered in dust.
“What you leave behind is not…
A short story
Superpower
My name is Deniss, and I’m twenty-three years old. I’m not sure why my parents put an extra “s” at the end of my name, but the kids at school loved it. They used to call me “Deniss the snake.” Laughing hysterically was my favourite response. Any other reaction would have made me a bullied kid, and the title is worse than the actual bullying.
When someone tries to hurt your feelings, show them something other than the pain. It’s like answering a question with a second question. It’s an obstruction to their intelligence. …
The true meaning of a Dopamine Detox.
A few weeks ago, while procrastinating (admittedly), I stumbled upon a piece of content on Dopamine Detox. Google wanted me to see it, so I went along. The concept is simple but not necessarily easy for anyone to put in practice.
The idea goes as follows: by removing all sources of “excitement” usually linked to procrastination, e.g. social media, Netflix, gaming and so on, an individual can rehabilitate their dopamine management system.
Regulating the dopamine response is believed to help us get rid of our technological addictions and the ultimate enemy of creativity: procrastination.
As we all found out, the…
A short essay on guilt.
Your Predicament
Let’s be honest; you are stuck here. No wonder why you often feel stuck; you actually are stuck.
Your feet are cosmically glued to this planet, and your life is woven within a highly organized web of rules and rituals, called society. Your body and mind are part of a much larger organism, and yet you feel responsible for everything that happens to you.
As guilt feasts on your misappropriation of responsibility, you end up beating yourself up for being stuck, which, again, is simply your predicament.
I’m not saying you are a victim, and I’m certainly not saying you…
Personalized content is shaping us, not shaped for us.
Spotify has been a significant player in reshaping the music industry over the last decade. As a musician who’s released a lot of music since 2006, I could use this opportunity to criticize Spotify’s policies or its royalty rates, but that’s not why I’m writing this piece.
I want to share my thoughts as a user and music lover who’s lost the precious sense of proactively listening to music and who’s being force-fed “predicted to be liked” songs that only validate a sophisticated algorithm.
Is the algorithm designed to bend towards my preferences, or is it designed to make my preferences turn towards it?
If some marketer on the street offered you a free bottle of Coca-Cola, chances are you’d…
