Hello!
If you are reading this, you’re part of history.
This is the very first issue of the new High Five newsletter!
Not a big deal, you may say? Well, it is for me! Because the idea of doing something like this has been going through my mind for the past two years.
But I failed to go for it first.
I got held back by overthinking, asking myself: “How do I do this right? Would anyone even care? Would it be good enough?.”
Finally, I’ve overcome these, and I’m now writing this intro for you. Speaking of YOU, I want first to take a moment to thank you! You cut through the noise of the internet and found me. And I appreciate that a lot.
Whether it’s thanks to my work or a recommendation by a friend, you ended up here. And it may all be the beginning of our new friendship. Also, in case we’ve already met, it’s great to see you again!
So, I guess the most important question would be:
Why should you stick around and keep reading these?
❤️ 1. You + me = BFF* — I always felt like a status update, a Tweet, or IG Story could get lost between the algorithms or scrolling. But, an email always felt more personal to me. More permanent and rich in content. It both takes more time to write and more time to read, and in the end, it creates a more personal connection. And that’s what I’d like to aim for.
(*Best friends forever in case you don’t know the term yet)
😎 2. You’re first in line — Whenever there is something worth sharing, you’ll be the first to know. Being subscribed to this newsletter should feel like you have a VIP sticker on your chest. Or we can instead use “VIF” as a “very important friend.” In practice, every time I’m working on something or releasing it, you’ll know before anyone else. This also includes priority access, discounts, or special deals.
🎁 3. You’ll get exclusive content — I’d also like to reward you for your attention and time. In short, you will get what I won’t share anywhere else. Like notes, work-in-progress, drafts, and more. Anything that may be interesting or inspiring.
Sounds good, huh? Now the technical part.
I will choose a topic for every issue and write my take on it, give you a work-related update, or do a personal/life update. Sometimes even combine these. With up to five links to inspiration, it should all fit into a 3 min total read time per email.
I’ll be publishing a new issue roughly every two or three weeks. That gives me enough time to pick a topic, get some work done, and enjoy life, so I have some personal updates, too.
What’s in it for me, you may ask?
My goal isn’t to grow this into a 100k subscriber list and sell it later. For me, the most crucial part is the connection we have with each other. I’d like this to feel like a two-way communication channel. I want to keep you in the loop of what’s new on my end, and I want you to know you can always reach out and ask me anything.
Second, I’ve never motivated myself to write a diary and felt like it was a shame. A lot is happening around me each day. In a way, writing this newsletter could help with that. If I stay consistent, it could serve as an excellent documenting tool.
Also, I take this as an experiment. I may want to change a few things as we go. But I’d first like to send a few emails + get feedback.
Speaking of feedback, please, do share it. Both positive and negative. You can reply to these emails anytime. Is this the greatest thing you saw recently? Let me know because I’ll feel excited to do more! Does it suck, and you wished I had changed things up? Let me know too because that’s how I can improve.
Alright! I shared everything I needed and gave you a proper intro.
I’ll finish right here because this issue is getting a bit longer with the explanations. However, there are still some links at the bottom you can check out. I won’t be sharing any work and personal updates today. But don’t worry, I’ll save them for the next time.
Damn, I can’t wait already! I hope you feel the same.
Have a great week, and see you soon!
A.
Links & inspiration
A collection of links to stuff I'm currently digging
📚 Book - Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity by Felicia Day. Make sure to get a paperback. You’ll love it!
🎵 Music - A Matter Of Perspective by DROELOE - Some future bass and beats as background music? Yes, please!
🎨 Design - Spencer Lowell’s portfolio - Minimal and “technical” look combined with gorgeous photography content.
🔤 Font - FK Screamer - Bold and condensed font that may look great especially on headlines.