5 | Actually Bad Ideas
Sometimes, they're actually bad.
Well friends, this newsletter is NOT going to encourage eugenics or defunding libraries — both objectively bad ideas!
A few months ago, I was telling my friend (see screenshots ☝️) about this newsletter idea, and it sparked another idea (which is why I feel like an idea mill!).
The convo also reminded me that I want to create space(s) that are outlets or inspo to counter things like book bans and fast fashion and hostile government takeovers.
Maybe it will spark action and positive change. Maybe it's just another fkn weird thing on the internet.
Idea: Introduce a section on ACTUAL bad ideas
I'm not kidding when I say I have so. many. ideas. And a lot of them are bad.
Some are funny bad, and some are cringe bad. Some are just bad-for-right-now, or bad-for-this-timeline-but-might-work-in-a-world-where-we-have-universal-health-care.
But when I tell folks that I want to start a newsletter to air out all these thoughts, y'know what nobody says?
🤷♀️ What if they're not all bad?
Because f'real though, statistically, I cannot be more full of shit than a DOGE bro.
The goal is to get them out of my head and onto a digital page. That's it.
And I'm not precious about them! (Read: I cannot afford to patent things.)
So if you think you can turn some of this shit into some kinda salad, go for it. Would be nice if you shared it with me, but I won't be mad if you don't.
🤔 What if they spark good ideas?
I think this is where the real impostor phenomenon kicks in.
There's this kinda obligation (?) I feel to launch and see things across some finish line.
And what if I can't do that? Fear, shame, guilt, wash, rinse, repeat. Anyway, that's a thought journey for therapy.
✅ What if it's just one long writing prompt because I'm avoiding morning pages?
Perhaps the greatest takeaway from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is the practice of doing morning pages. Supposed to be great for idea generation.
Yet I never do them. Maybe that's a (good) idea for another time!
Tell me your bad ideas! It'll be like PostSecret — I can reshare it here anonymously (with your permission) or it can just be a delightful share in my inbox.
Deleted ideas dug up from the archives. Because in 2016-ish I had a Chase Sapphire Reserve and believed the world needed another travel blog.
✍️ Create a brand around travel writing.
🏝️ Blog title idea: "Island Girl Abroad"
🛋️ Blog idea: An anti-travel blog where you don't mention where the cool spots are, don't promote anything, and just live your life.
🙏 Blog idea: A blog where you do Eat Pray Love type shit but find other Jamaicans all over the world. Inspired by seeing a Bob Marley-themed spot in the eastern Himalayas. But call it "Try Jah Love."
🍽️ Blog idea: Call it "Nyam & Scram (Eat & Travel)" with the tag line, "A wanga gut’s survival guide across Jah’s green earth."
If you'd believe it, I had other bad ideas that were so bad and lacked any context, so I just deleted them. 🤦♀️
ABCD: Mary H.K. Choi
(Anyone But Cis Dudes. And if you hate this section, examine why!)
Mary H.K. Choi
Bestie got me into Mary H.K. Choi's newsletter recently, and I'm currently reading (listening) to Permanent Record, which ofc led me to Choi's wiki, where I learned that her first novel was partly inspired by Judy Blume's 1975 YA novel Forever... — a steamy, likely-to-be-banned book that I somehow missed after Are You There God, It's Me Margaret.
I immediately added it to my Libby holds list because (clutch your pearls!) there's talk about sex (!) and a penis (!) and how to give a handy (!)
Apparently, Blume had said she wanted to write a story about two people who have sex, but nothing terrible happens. And Choi thought that was cool. And then wrote a whole novel (Emergency Contact).
Fifty years later, Forever... is being turned into a Netflix series that starts streaming May 8, 2025 (tomorrow!).
Choi's work had me dipping into some delightful rabbit holes tonight. See why I think there's value in sharing ideas? 😂
Do you know someone you'd like to boost? Is that someone you?
Let me know!
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Thanks for skimming! Toodles!
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