Writing is my Tuning Fork

Answering a question I'm often asked

Why do you write?

What we think, feel, and experience is often inaudible until we express it. 

The expression itself allows us to process why we feel a certain way. As Mark Nepo said:

“The life of expression is the tuning fork by which we find our way to the sacred.”

Writing has been my tuning fork, allowing me to discover myself more deeply and find my people. I want to help you let writing change your life too. 

My progress so far

My writing has evolved over time. For the first four years, I wrote purely for myself. 

The foundational work started 870 days ago when I started long-form journaling, capturing my raw experiences at Cornell before publishing on health + tech in April of 2021.

I forcefully spilled my emotions, thoughts, predictions, and questions out on the pages. There were no consequences, backlash, fears, or self doubt because I was writing for my eyes only.

Experimenting with journaling flows was critical. I tried a mix of long form flows, the 5 minute journal, bullet journal, lined/dotted paper, Best Self, etc. It took time to find my own cherished writing systems and understand how I could create a flywheel between topics I loved exploring. 

Looking Back further: Knowledge Privilege

The privilege of writing in 2022 fuels me. Privilege? 

Stepping into my grandpa’s library last year was a wake up call.

A look at my Grandpa’s library in Norfolk, VA

It reminded me how damn lucky I am to learn and share publicly today. Seeing my grandpa’s manual, pain-staking notes reminded me that in 2022, knowledge acquisition has never been easier in human history.

Any online writer in 2022 writes from a position of knowledge privilege, and must be a careful steward of this data to turn it into subsequent knowledge.  

It doesn’t stop there - as a writer I have distribution privilege too! 

Writing about my interests has connected me to people I vibe with. It’s helped me find people whose tuning forks are ringing with the same frequency. 

The same isolated writing journey my grandpa embarked on 60+ years ago has been a fun, social journey that’s brought smart, passionate, and intellectually curious people into my life. I’ve gained friends for life, had career and social opportunities emerge, and acquired health-tech consulting gigs thanks to writing on Twitter and Substack. 

Here are 10 (of many more) reasons I write:

1. Interweaving connections between disciplines I find interesting

2. Preserving memories: G-d gave us memories so we can have roses in December.

3. Capturing moments in their raw form. I want to remember precious moments decades from now with the fidelity of yesterday. Capturing rich details helps me do that.

4. Making Friends: it’s connected me to people, friends, networks, people I otherwise never would have met

5. Learning about new industries

6. Learning about myself

7. Exploring interesting ideas

8. Self-improvement through observation, reflection, learning

9. Grounding myself

10. Expressing gratitude

Looking forward: 

It’s cathartic to share a tiny window into why I started writing for myself and how it’s evolved into sharing my interests with you. Saks Snacks is a constant evolution as I’ve listened to the sound waves created by my internal tuning fork. 

What started as a self practice four years ago turned into a connection I’ve been privileged to foster with you. Please know I cherish that and hope to deepen that as I devote more time, energy, and research into writing.

We’re in the first inning of a long, extra innings game as we eclipsed 20 explorations of emerging trends of health and technology. In this next inning, I’m taking my writings to the next level, interweaving connections between broader disciplines I find fascinating and around important topics that must be explored.

You should probably write more too. 

If you have something in this world that lights you up, you should write. If you’re feeling stuck, you should write. 

Whether it’s for yourself or for an audience, I guarantee you it’ll be net-positive. 

David Perell says “the best people to learn from are people 1 or 2 rungs ahead of you on the ladder”. 

In the writing realm… that’s me. I hope to be that person for you. For you, who’s still reading this. If you’ve thought about taking the leap, just do it. 

My DM’s are open if you need support. 

-Adam