i've started working with people on their writing, voice, and public body of work, and it has become some of the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done the work is basically: creating a container and mirror for the ideas already in you, finding the signal, then helping it become more real in public if you feel something in your mind wanting to take shape through public writing, essays, a newsletter, or a clearer body of work, reach out

just published a new essay - 'how to stay awake to your own life'. it's about the state of lucidity that sometimes arrives through near-death experiences, and whether there are gentler ways to return to it. how do we remember what actually matters before disaster has to remind us? how do we avoid sleepwalking into lives we never consciously chose? this one is on turbulence, poems, pale blue dots, writing toward aliveness, and the reminders that return us to ourselves read here: velvetnoise.substack.com/p/h…

everyone’s standards in love just rose and I love that for us as a species, fight harder, be more honest, expose yourself and risk everything so you can find someone this aligned for you amen

Annoying people progress faster because they get more feedback from the world vs aloof people who try to figure things out in private and place a paramount value on not bothering anyone or being seen trying, failing, or not-knowing

getting anywhere interesting often requires being a little annoying. everyone is sometimes annoying, it’s all fine. tweet 15 times a day, ask the question, follow up, be seen trying and failing and confused. it’s usually worth it eventually

so much joy in capturing my friends' smiles :') grateful to @JoumanaElomar for creating a home away from home on 4th of july <3

4th of july celebrations with aussies & honourary aussies, hosted by the wonderful @JoumanaElomar <3 📸lil moments captured by @lindazhangau

i always joking tell people i feel like i’ll meet my husband on twitter but i meet people like @majamediaco on here and when we met, we just instantly clicked ❤️ the internet’s butterfly effects are crazy, and your choice of partner is easily one of the most important choices in your life

📣 PSA TO SAN FRANCISCO MEN WHO ARE FUNNY, KIND, AND EMOTIONALLY WELL-ADJUSTED: my wonderful friend Adel is single and I think this should change she is one of the most thoughtful, creative, cool people I know, makes beautiful art and handmade jewellery, hosts the best events, including mahjong nights and storytelling gatherings, and generally brings people together in a way that makes life feel more interesting and warm. she is kind, curious, artistic, and has the rare gift of making things and community seeking someone in sf who is equally witty, curious, nurturing, expressive, optimistic, driven, a little adventurous, ideally a fellow foodie/travel person, and importantly, does not take himself too seriously please direct all serious inquiries to Adel’s DMs ❣️

friday night jazz in New York City with dad

i had a few friends reach out asking to be match made after tweeting this and am now taking this on as a passionate side quest. love the concept of helping wonderful beautiful friends find love

if you have thoughts on AI writing detection tools, worth a read

god I love poetry can we do this every week

loved rediscovering this timeless ‘the little prince’ quote just now looking at @jxbz website

It has taken a village to make the Side Doors documentary a reality! We had a whirlwind week filming 7 interviews in 7 days including @hannah_ahn @torchcompiled @jestonlu @nikhilville @DStrachman @anupamsidhant and @sha_zng @majamediaco and I are so grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey so far💜 We have been blown away by the generosity of kindness of those who have lent their time, couches, venues, expertise, cameras and cars. Can't wait to keep sharing things as they unfold! So much love 🥹 Linda and Maja xox

i really love it when interviewers ask you random abstract questions like ‘what is trust’ (an actual question i was asked in an interview recently, and of course was from a former journalist). job interviewers are such a particular social context that allow for far more creativity than we typically entertain. if the purpose of a 30 minute interview conversation is primarily to understand who a person is, how they think and how that may overlap with a company’s needs, the question opportunities are almost boundless. founders and senior leaders usually have the most liberty to be esoteric in interviews, but everyone could. the purpose of interview questions are to understand something meaningful about the human in front of you and the standard Rolodex of interview questions isn’t particularly good at this far more fun and interesting for both interviewer and interviewee than the standard ‘tell me about a time you managed stakeholders etc etc’