The meaning behind all of this

Sounds like philosophy, looks like philosophy, smells like philosophy

So, a friend of mine put me in a group with other newsletter-makers (newsletterers? newswriters?) and they have been discussing some very interesting subjects. I will not spoil them, as there is a mischievous plan in action (and I keep asking myself why the hell they put me there), but I want to bring something to light for you, my few followers.

I want to talk about the acquiring of meaning.

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I find it very interesting that today, seeing “<== 1,5 ==>” on a plaque makes absolute sense instantly. A store near my house has a simple “1 🧍” sign on its door and it’s zero struggle to understand it: only one person is allowed inside at a time. Pre-Covid, this specific and succinct language might’ve not worked as it works now, because symbols acquire meaning.

I had semiotics classes in college and we talked a lot about symbols, meanings, society, and the interaction of the viewer with what was being viewed. According to my teacher, we needed to be careful when studying symbols, as just by analyzing them they “gathered new meaning”.

The common “don’t make stupid people famous” didn’t start with Twitter: acknowledging is giving power, assuring existence is maintaining existence. Umberto Eco (yeah, we’ve got full academics now) has a very interesting view of this in his “The Open Work”, with one of the conclusions being that overanalyzing empties symbols of meaning and closes them to others.

I always overanalyze the things I do and, especially, why I do them.

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Aline Valek wrote (in Portuguese) about some very interesting things:

aline valek @alinevalek

Não vejo o que crio para a internet como um meio para ser publicada. É parte integrante do meu trabalho literário. Minha literatura não está só nos livros de papel, está também no podcast, está na newsletter, está nas zines e no que mais eu resolver fazer.

aline valek @alinevalek

Sei que o que é feito para a internet é encarado como algo menor, menos artístico. Vai tudo pra caixinha de produção de conteúdo. Escrevo na internet não porque é um imperativo de autopromoção, mas porque PRA MIM escrever livros é lindo, mas não é o suficiente

aline valek @alinevalek

Entendi que não preciso ser escritora nos mesmos moldes que, sei lá, Virginia Woolf ou Mário de Andrade foram, ou dessa ideia que se espera de um escritor. Eu posso escrever fazendo o que sei, o que gosto, misturar formatos, usando tudo o que a minha época me permite

Translating it (poorly):

I don't see what I create for the internet as a medium to be published. It is an integral part of my literary work. My literature is not only in paper books, it's also in the podcast, it's in the newsletter, it's in the zines and whatever else I decide to do.

I know that what is made for the internet is seen as something smaller, less artistic. It all goes into the content production box. I write on the internet not because it's a self-promotion imperative, but because for ME writing books is beautiful, but it's not enough.

I understood that I don't need to be a writer in the same way that, I don't know, Virginia Woolf or Mário de Andrade were, or that idea that is expected of a writer. I can write doing what I know, what I like, mixing formats, using everything my time allows me

So, as Aline puts it, the very existence of this newsletter — or a blog, a podcast, a newspaper, and anything I ever put my hands on — is the existence of this newsletter. There’s no catch, marketing act, or special surprise. There’s only acquired meaning: this newsletter — or my blog, where I like most to write on — will become something as time goes. They will grow or shrink — or stay stale for almost 400 episodes, like my now-dead podcast — and we’ll see what happens then whenever then happens.

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning in this season of my life (this was the term we used yesterday, me and my therapist) is that now is patience season, not “let’s define everything and be 100% sure” season.

Can you be patient with me?

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I wrote an article about optimizing time in my blog and I think you should read it. It has a weird narrative style. I like weird things so, well, maybe you’ll like it too.

Click on the image to read the article or click here

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I forgot my Kindle in an Airbnb in Berlin — or, as Janine says, “Santa Cecília Plus” — and my friend Tassia Kastner was a dear and got it back to me. While it was in transfer I started reading The King In Yellow.

All I want to do now is to re-watch True Detective and come back to an old concept I started working with Silva João back in the day, about cows, priests, and cults.

When I finish it I’ll go promptly back to the second in the Poppy Wars series — I’m absolutely loving it.

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I remember the whole reason for me to do this newsletter was to promote blog posts but now I’m writing thoughts and talking about books. Acquired meaning, right?