What is the work that moves you?

Today I got to talk to someone, let’s call him David, who is both one of the best listeners I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting and one of the most thoughtful people working in that place where media and tech overlap. These qualities are related.

And then this afternoon I went to see Into The Spider-Verse, which was everything I wanted and nothing I expected. Many people more qualified than me have written about the brilliance of the animation. What I cannot get over, in addition to all that, is the writing. Comic books are words and pictures and the best ones elevate both. The people who wrote for Into The Spider-Verse love their medium, but crucially they love the possibilities of the medium even more.

David, and people like David, love their medium. But they demand more, and in demanding more they challenge and uplift (uplevel) the people around them.

My practice for this year is not just demanding more. It is believing in the possibility of more, for myself and for the work and for the people who still love the work.