Back at it + a question for you

You might have been surprised to get a newsletter from me recently after a two month hiatus. I've been pushing on a few projects that I'm excited to have made progress on (which I'll tell you about soon), but I'm also stoked to get back to sharing and exploring with all of you.

I've been writing despite the slow publishing, so I've got plenty of nuggets to share & questions to ask.

In the meantime, I have a question for you and I'd love it if you took a second to reply... but no sweat if nothing comes to mind.

What's the coolest, most edifying, or interesting article, story, or book you've read this summer? It can be about anything, from self-driving cars to a feature on synchronized swimming at the Rio Olympics! 

I'll get back to you soon and enjoy the end of summer!

Be kind, stay curious...

- Ev

P.s. If you like art, photography, travel, great coffee, insane food & smiles, I'd love it if you'd follow me on Instagram. I just got back from New York and a camping trip at Chain O Lakes near Antioch, IL, so there's plenty of street art and sunsets to peruse.

'Everybody else' (an energetic source)

Sometimes it can be easy to think that it's about us... but it shouldn't be. 'Everybody else' are powerful.

When we look around, it's clear that a lot of people doing bold things. Challenging norms, rethinking constructs, building systems, developing relationships, solving problems, organizing communities, offering value, connecting people, and together, building the reality of tomorrow.

Whether it's Levi developing his own card games & communities, Jonathan speaking to thousands of people weekly via his podcast, Sam making great beer, James doing every creative thing under the sun, Dustin launching a new business, Brian traveling the world doing incredible qualitative research, Chad & Leonard following their culinary dreams, Molly making art into her career, Lindsey making malas, Katherine putting container architecture to great use, Jeremy angling on strategy around sustainable reuse of cell phones, Aaron managing water treatment at a vineyard owned by a man named Coppola, Saya rethinking community building, or KC launching a new career through meditation & speaking...

'Everybody else' are an energetic source.

Here's to finding the everybody else's that make us feel like what we want to do is possible too.

A potential we all have

I like taking photos. Spotting a great shot ahead of time is another way to remind myself to be perceptive, and I'm excited that some fun images have come out of that awareness.

I also like the idea of being in a certain place or point in time, and having the eyes to help us all see it. It's a potential we all have.

I place way more value in getting out there so I can be in those places and points in time than I do the technology, which is why most of the photos I've taken over the past few years have been with an iPhone 5.

That said, I'm excited to share my favorite shots from the past few years and have made affordable open editions available for purchase via Society 6. It's a great platform where artists can sell art prints and other products, and I look forward to trying it out.

If you like contrast, art, nature, texture, & travel, you might like my photos.

Vietnabike, Wires, To The East, and I See You, Buenos Aires are a few of my favorites.

Here's to the process of creating & enjoying it enough to get better.

(I hope one of these photos brings you joy.)

- - -

Society6.com/evanlaruffa

I see you, Buenos Aires

It's been fun walking around Argentina the past few weeks. This country has so much cultural richness, it' astounding. I used to visit often as a kid, when my parents would bring us here to see my dad's family... but getting to know Buenos Aires as an adult has been eye opening.

A few ideas have come to mind.

1) It's amazing how much we are hung up on appearances in the US. Image is everything, and that's not necessarily a good thing. In Argentina, the lack of resources in certain areas creates an entirely different set of priorities. The result is a somewhat more practical, yet defeatist approach... and it's hard to blame them.

Not only should we be thankful for how great life is in the USA, but we should also think about how we might want to adjust our own priorities.

2) Not being in the loop for the political nonsense and awful instances of gun violence for a mere two weeks provides a new perspective as well. I think we've mistaken quantity for quality, again.

The 24 hour news cycle is insane, and the shock and awe approach undoubtedly keeps us reactive.

3) I prefer texture to cleanliness. Walking through the streets in BA, where graffiti and street art aren't controlled at all, the confluence of art, color, paper, grit, and greenery is a sight to behold.

For me, these three ideas are attached by a single thread...

Travel is a gift.

Hasta la proxima....