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Enjoy your readings!
Hey friends!
I'm about to close down the original Everything is a Remix shop I ran for about ten years and I'm now running a clearance sale on all remaining stock! I have 4 shirts, 4 posters, and 15 sets of stickers, so I'm only emailing a small number of my most loyal fans. Yes, you dear reader, are one of the chosen ones. Even if you don't buy anything, please luxuriate in your elite status.
Sorry, I'm only shipping to the US and Canada for this sale.
Get this stuff while you can, it'll sell out fast! (If that happens to you, don't worry, our new shop has you covered.)
Best!
Kirby
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
New Video: Farewell to Cultural Appropriation
Hi everybody! Check out my brand spankin' new video, Farewell to Cultural Appropriation!
Get our new BLACK ON BLACK shirt in the shop!
Want to help me make more new videos? Become a Patron!
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
New Video: Farewell to Cultural Appropriation
Hi everybody! Check out my brand spankin' new video, Farewell to Cultural Appropriation!
Get our new BLACK ON BLACK shirt in the shop!
Want to help me make more new videos? Become a Patron!
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
Friends, my run as an internet filmmaker is drawing to a close. This isn’t happening immediately, but over the coming months I’ll be transitioning my time and energy elsewhere. I'm telling my biggest fans about this now so you won't be shocked when this day comes.
I've been making online videos for over twenty years. Before there was YouTube, I was hosting sketch comedy videos on my own site. Thanks to having a viral hit in 2010, I stumbled into this being my livelihood.
But for years now, this work has been a hobby masquerading as a career. I’m now a father and spending the majority of my time on work that generates very little income is unsustainable. Up next I’ll be concentrating on commercial video editing and production, perhaps with some original content for established platforms. Hey, I’m open to offers if anyone has them.
This change will take a while to roll out. Here’s my plan.
This is Not a Conspiracy Theory, my 2020 commercial documentary, will be released for free on YouTube. The six episodes will come out bi-weekly, starting shortly.
I’ll finish parts 3 and 4 of Everything is a Remix, which will complete the new version of the series. I’m gonna go out with a bang and make these videos the best ones yet.
After that, I’ll be done with making personal videos. I'll be continuing my intellectual and creative pursuits as a hobby but any content I create will likely be writing, not video. This email newsletter has become one of my favorite platforms, it will continue and I think even get better – so don’t unsubscribe! It’s even possible there will be new videos in this next phase but they'll just be for fun and won't be in the laborious format I'm known for.
Folks, I’m not dead yet. There’s still killer videos to come and I’ll still be doing interesting stuff even after I stop making videos. Stick with me. But there comes a time to let go, and man, I am well past it.
As usual, it’s actually me on the other end of these emails. You can just hit reply and you’re talking to me. I don’t have time to reply to all emails but I do read them.
Take care everybody and talk soon,
Kirby
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Folks, my 2020 documentary series, This is Not a Conspiracy Theory, is at long last free for everyone to watch. Episode 1 is live now. 5 more episodes will be coming every 2 weeks. If you'd like to own the complete, commercial-free, Deluxe Edition of the series, you can save 50% until May 17th with the code TINACTYT1.
I'd like to clarify something from my previous email about the upcoming end of my video content career. (See my last email if you don't know what I'm talking about.) A number of you asked what will happen to The Remix Shop. The Remix Shop will be there forever or at least until armageddon. New products will even be coming shortly. My Patreon will also not be closing and will support the next chapter of my work, which will probably be text-based. Your support is still enormously helpful and appreciated so if you're not a Patron, please consider becoming one now.
And some of you have asked if I have a baby registry and I do indeed!
I'm currently in the midst of writing Everything is a Remix Part 3. It's primarily about video games, a new realm for me. Writing is going quickly and I should be in production fairly soon.
I was recently interviewed for the podcast PACD about my cultural appropriation video.
I also was honored to be featured in the perennial Oregon arts publication, Oregon Arts Watch. This is the most extensive and thoughtful piece that's been written about me. If you want to know more about me, this is definitely the article to read.
Talk soon everybody!
k
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Howdy folks!
In this email I’d like to share the good stuff I’ve discovered lately, but first off, here’s the latest from me.
The next video from me will be Everything is a Remix Part 3, the script of which will be complete shortly. The video itself will still be a while though. In the meantime, my 2020 doc This is Not a Conspiracy Theory is being released for free on YouTube. Episode 2 is now live and the remaining four episodes will come out every two weeks. Remember you can get the full, commercial free series half off right now. Be sure to enter the code TINACTYT1.
Here’s a new interview where I discuss being a “content creator” and my coming retirement.
Onward to my discoveries!
How the World Really Works
This book delivers on its bold title and fills a gaping hole in the cultural conversation – nobody actually talks about how the whole system works. The system requires colossal quantities of cement, steel, plastic and ammonia and we have no way to replace these with more sustainable alternatives. This book is a lot and I would read it, rather than listen to the audiobook – which is what I’m doing and I’m rewinding plenty.
I’m loving the app Ground News, which compiles stories from across the ideological spectrum and shows you how each side is framing them or simply ignoring them. You don’t even need to use the app, just sign up for their mailing list for daily updates.
As many of you know, I think conspiracy theories are a garbage subculture and I’ve spent an incredible amount of time trying to understand them and shed some light. It’s easy to be contemptuous of conspiracy thinkers because they’re mostly so bad at research and reason. But everybody’s got a point, even people who are essentially wrong. This piece finds the kernels of wisdom and even rationality in vaccine hesitancy.
Skip this section if you don’t care about baby formula.
Nora and I supplement Kirby Junior’s diet with formula and very fortunately, we’ve been unaffected by the shortage here in the US. It was mostly the result of good luck but here’s what we did.
We diversify KJ’s diet and exposure by using a variety of formulas. We were initially using European formulas, which, as far as we can tell, are superior to American. This shop has fast delivery and free shipping if you order enough. We also used this shop and it was great. Be warned: you are venturing into a gray market here.
This is a fairly expensive solution and we didn’t like buying something so important through the gray market. We then moved on to a couple subscription services, Bobbie and By Heart, and we’ve remained with them since. They’re still at the high end of the market but deservedly so. This is the best stuff you can get. Unfortunately, neither are accepting new customers for now, but both have waiting lists.
We’ve also used Earth’s Best, an affordable brand that is popular in organic stores and grocery coops. Even now, I’ve been seeing plenty of it out there and if you or anyone you know is in need, this is a good route.
Nora and I find these step-in sneakers ultra-handy when you have a baby, which means you very often can’t use your hands.
With an infant it’s also important to be able to easily tell time for sleeps and feeds and this el cheapo smart watch has been a real boon for me. Of course, an Apple Watch would be best but it’s overkill for my needs. I use this to tell time, for steps, for sleep and that’s it. Otherwise, it never beckons for my attention. I have no clue what Chinese entity is behind this thing but I’m comfortable with the crumbs of data they get from me.
Lastly, here’s a few YouTube videos I’ve liked recently.
Look at you, you read the whole email! Your reward is $5 off on any shirt in The Remix Shop! Just use the code GIMME5.
Talk soon! Bye!
k
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Howdy folks! Welcome back after a brief hiatus. Much has happened with me. My family recently moved to San Diego, California from Portland, Oregon. Driving a thousand miles with an infant was about as much fun as you’d think.
2022 has been a year of big changes for me. I have a baby. I turned 50 somehow. I’m in the midst of radically changing my career. And now I’ve moved to Southern California.
Almost everything in my life has suddenly changed. I didn’t intend for all of this to happen at the same time, it’s just a coincidence. But it’s also an opportunity.
I recently read Katy Milkman’s book How to Change and an early point she makes is that change tends to stick better when we feel we have a clean slate. After a reset, we’re better able to build new habits. 2022 for me is THE EVEN GREATER RESET. (If you don’t get this joke, I’ll explain it at the end.)
I’m now well into the second half of my life and I feel I’ve completed many of the journeys that drove the younger me. It’s time to close these chapters and open some new ones. This will be a recurring theme in this newsletter, but right now I’d just like to talk about my life with media.
I’ve consumed insane amounts of media, it’s made me who I am, I have no regrets. But I’m now at the diminishing returns phase. I'm no longer getting nearly so much back from the time I'm putting in. It's time to scale back media's role in my life. I'm mostly done with movies, TV shows, social media, and online videos. Of course, I’ll still be doing some amount of all this, but it'll be way less. Matter of fact, I’ve already chopped down my intake by about 70%. The change is made, it just needs to hold.
The one form of media I’m excluding is books. I can read as much as I want because I feel the net result from that activity is positive in my life. I just replaced my dying 2017 Kindle and this has made reeding just a bit more fun and friction-free. Those of you in the US can still get an excellent deal on the Paperwhite at Amazon. It’s awesome and highly recommended.)
I’ve been reading The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. This is the first of his books I've read. Robinson is one of the new fiction authors I’m aware of who tells systemic stories. A great line from the book: "No conspiracy theories, please, so fucking tedious those people— as if things secretly made sense!"
I’ve also made a small but substantial change to how I read: I keep reading the same book until I’m done – either the book is finished or I’ve read all I intend to. Prior to this I tended to have several books on the go at once. This is not as bad as flipping about between open tabs or apps, but it’s a similar unfocused activity and I want to phase it out.
Here's my parting thought to you, dear reader. I'm sure you want to make some changes. Have you had a reset? If not, where can you find one? Even if your life doesn’t seem to be that different, I’m sure it is. Maybe you had a break up. Maybe your kids aren’t kids anymore. Maybe you just turned whatever age. And if you really can’t think of anything, the pandemic is hopefully over so just use that. Find a reset and create change from there.
THE LATEST FROM ME
I’m currently working on Remix Part 3, several freelance projects and releasing my 2020 doc This is Not a Conspiracy Theory for free on YouTube. We’re now up to Episode 5, one of my favorites in the series. The final episode will be posted in a couple weeks.
Here’s a recent podcast interview with me by my friend Aryeh Cohen-Wade.
(And for those who don’t know, The Even Greater Reset is a reference to The Great Reset, a World Economic Forum idea that has caught the ire of the conspiracy crazies. As usual, these concerns seems overwhelmingly stupid.)
Talk to you all in a couple weeks or so! Happy summer to everybody in the northern hemisphere!
Kirby
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Howdy folks!
And I have another New York Times collaboration, Kill Your Lawn, which was written by Agnes Walton and directed and edited by me.
Now let's talk about Jordan Peterson.
Historically, Jordan Peterson has failed to bother me much, probably because I was researching far worse people. Peterson seemed like the soft stuff and I actually thought he was doing some good by diverting attention away from predictable ideologues and raving lunatics. To me, Peterson seemed like a perfectly fine motivational speaker who was also fairly hysterical on gender issues.
But for whatever reason, Peterson seems to have gotten more nuts since returning from his near death experience. He recently stated that climate change is nonsense because "climate" means "everything". Okaaaaay.
And he wrote a weird, vicious tweet about Elliott Page then seemed willing to martyr himself over it. This inspired a couple excellent memes.
Oh but there is so so so much more, people. Cody Johnston and his team lay out an absolutely devastating argument that Jordan Peterson is useless and always has been. While I think Peterson has likely summoned some insight here and there in the past, I buy this argument almost entirely. And it’s a quick little video so be sure to watch the whole thing.
Apropos of nothing, the family has welcomed its first robot companion, Eufy Robovac 11S! We’ve named him Wally and he has changed our lives forever. In the past we never vacuumed and only swept up when there was no other option. Now Wally heads out every day, sucks up everything in sight, and Little Kirby can crawl around on the floor without his slobbery hands and face getting caked in dog fur. Especially if you’ve got kids, I would just get this thing. It’s the most useful gadget I’ve bought in a while.
Speaking of robots, Everything is a Remix Part 4 will be about artificial intelligence! (Where’s Part 3 you ask? I’m editing that now!) If you’d like to see what’s going on and even help out, come join our Discord.
We don’t watch a lot of TV or movies anymore, but we do watch a show each evening and a couple genuinely great ones have come up: The Bear, which you probably haven't heard of, and Nathan Fielder’s bonkers The Rehearsal, which likely has passed your radar. These two shows are the first great TV we've seen in a long time.
Hope everybody had a great summer! Happy spring to those of you in the southern hemisphere! I'll be back in a couple weeks!
Kirby
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Howdy folks! The new and improved Everything is a Remix Part 3 is now live! Be sure to share, like and comment!
And over in the Everything is a Remix shop, we now have a new long-sleeve, a new ladies' t-shirt and, at long last, shirts and onesies for infants, toddlers and youths!
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Friends, EVERYTHING in The Remix Shop is 25% OFF until Monday! Use the code BLACKREMIXFRIDAY at checkout.
That includes our beloved mens' shirts, our new ladies' cut, our new long-sleeves, and new shirts and onesies for youths, toddlers and babies -- see the unbearably adorable picture below!
And for the first time, this sale even applies to our downloadable worksheets and art, like The 4 Steps To Getting an Idea Worksheet, Getting Unstuck Worksheet, and Copy Transform Combine Printable Artwork! Those are just $3.75 each after discount! Again, use the code BLACKREMIXFRIDAY at checkout.
And folks, in case you missed it, Everything is a Remix Part 3 is out! I command you to GO WATCH IT!!!
I'll be back in a couple weeks with a new email with all the latest developments from me. I'm very excited about Everything is a Remix Part 4, which will be about artificial intelligence, creativity and copyright. If you'd like to do some extra homework you can read this or this or this. This will be the final installment in the reboot of Everything is a Remix and the final video from me, like, ever.
Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans, happy month-and-a-half after Thanksgiving to the Canadians, and happy random Thursday to the rest you you!
Talk in a bit!
k
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
Friends, EVERYTHING in The Remix Shop is 25% OFF for today only! Use the code BLACKREMIXFRIDAY at checkout.
That includes our beloved mens' shirts, our new ladies' cut, our new long-sleeves, and new shirts and onesies for youths, toddlers and babies -- see the unbearably adorable picture below!
And for the first time, this sale even applies to our downloadable worksheets and art, like The 4 Steps To Getting an Idea Worksheet, Getting Unstuck Worksheet, and Copy Transform Combine Printable Artwork! Those are just $3.75 each after discount! Again, use the code BLACKREMIXFRIDAY at checkout.
And folks, in case you missed it, Everything is a Remix Part 3 is out! I command you to GO WATCH IT!!!
I'll be back in a couple weeks with a new email with all the latest developments from me. I'm very excited about Everything is a Remix Part 4, which will be about artificial intelligence, creativity and copyright. If you'd like to do some extra homework you can read this or this or this. This will be the final installment in the reboot of Everything is a Remix and the final video from me, like, ever.
Talk in a bit!
k
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I am enormously proud to present Everything is a Remix Part 4: Artificial Creativity. I’m very happy with how this video turned out and I hope you all enjoy it.
As many of you know, this is my last video. I’ll update you all shortly on what this means. Let me just say for now, I will still be pursuing interesting topics, I’ll just be doing it in a different way. This newsletter will be the hub for my next phase.
As always my enormous thanks for your attention and support! Hope you’re all well and talk soon!
Kirby
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I am enormously proud to present Everything is a Remix Part 4: Artificial Creativity. I’m very happy with how this video turned out and I hope you all enjoy it.
As many of you know, this is my last video. I’ll update you all shortly on what this means. Let me just say for now, I will still be pursuing interesting topics, I’ll just be doing it in a different way. This newsletter will be the hub for my next phase.
As always my enormous thanks for your attention and support! Hope you’re all well and talk soon!
Kirby
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Ladies and gents, after two years of hard work, the new-and-improved Everything is a Remix is complete! All four parts have been combined into a single, hour-long video. This is now the definitive Everything is a Remix experience. I made some minor edits but the episodes are basically the same as when they were first published.
And that’s a wrap for my career as an internet filmmaker, folks! I’m shifting to a new phase of my life and career. Next week I’ll update you all on what’s next!
Some of you have generously made donations as a token of your appreciation for my work. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.
And of course, you can buy shirts and worksheets here.
Talk next week!
Kirby
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
Case you missed it, folks, after two years of hard work, the new-and-improved Everything is a Remix is complete! All four parts have been combined into a single, hour-long video. This is now the definitive Everything is a Remix experience. I made some minor edits but the episodes are basically the same as when they were first published.
And that’s a wrap for my career as an internet filmmaker, folks! I’m shifting to a new phase of my life and career. Next week I’ll update you all on what’s next!
Some of you have generously made donations as a token of your appreciation for my work. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.
And of course, you can buy shirts and worksheets here.
Talk next week!
Kirby
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
Howdy folks!
I’ll start by saying: I don’t think of myself as a douchebag, but I kind of am. I’m a big fan of me.
Also, I don’t think of myself as a resentful person, but I kind of am. I find my lack of popularity infuriating and stupid. I think I’m hot shit and the world hasn’t rewarded me amply enough.
In this unusually long message I’m gonna let these little demons out for some air. Skip this email if you prefer to think of me as a sweetie pie — which I kind of am too.
I’m gonna talk about my career history for a while. Get comfy!
I’ve never been much of a planner. I became a graphic designer in my twenties because I designed the student newspaper in university and learned desktop publishing software. In my spare time I published zines and early websites.
In my thirties I got into video because it was fun and I wanted to be funny. Over time, this shifted to wanting to make good stuff, pursue interesting ideas and even have revelations and share them.
During this whole first phase, financial viability wasn’t given much consideration and I relied on tolerable day jobs to pay the bills. My creative pursuits were passionate hobbies, but I guess I figured if I made something good enough or popular enough – and ideally both – then the money would follow and somehow that would become a career.
Somehow this happened.
Not the original Everything is a Remix, but actually a little bit better, the 2015 minor update
In 2010 the first part of Everything is a Remix popped on Vimeo. At the time, Vimeo was like the thinking person’s YouTube. (Where is my Vimeo channel now? Humblebrag: it was taken down for consuming too much bandwidth!)
The initial success was actually smaller than my current successes but it felt massive at the time. There was a clear spark and it rapidly grew from there. The second part went truly viral and I was off to the races for the next few years. I made a risky move and quit my day job. Shockingly, I made a living without one. I mostly earned income through public speaking, which absolutely terrified me, but through practice I got pretty good at it (though the nerves never subsided).
In 2012 I spoke at TED, a pinnacle achievement in the ideas culture of the era (and still a big deal). That talk has been seen a couple millions times. I spoke at SXSW, Google, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, NYU, Columbia, and lots of other fancy places. I was doing talks every month. I found myself all over the US, a country that was still new to me, having moved from Canada a few years earlier. I traveled to Mexico, Chile, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, including Scotland, Northern England, and Ireland, which is where my ancestors emigrated to Canada from. Freelance video opportunities followed, including several Google projects.
2012 was the peak of the Everything is a Remix project and my career. I've had various smaller successes since then, but my career as an internet filmmaker has been in slow decline ever since.
After Everything is a Remix I started a new series in a similar paradigm, the paid series This is Not a Conspiracy Theory. Somewhere in the back of mind, I was thinking that after a success, you take a big swing on a more experimental thing. This was what the bands I admired did (think Radiohead after OK Computer), so that’s what I did.
Episode One of This is Not a Conspiracy Theory
I intentionally made This is Not a Conspiracy Theory extremely difficult. I wanted to red-line my research, writing, and production. I even scored much of the series myself–and no, I’m not a musician. I tried to make it really difficult, and mission accomplished, it was. The series took eight years to complete. Because it launched on KickStarter at the end of Everything is a Remix, plenty of people paid me up front sight unseen and were waiting for the better part of a decade as episodes were slowly released. It took me years to get through the accompanying guilt.
The timing of the series turned out to be impeccable. This is Not a Conspiracy Theory was completed just as conspiracy culture went totally mainstream in the Trump years. And here I was with a painstakingly researched, well-articulated antidote, something I felt could move the needle on the conversation. But it was essentially an art project. I was aiming to make the most challenging and interesting thing I could. Its audience remained small and it didn’t lead to much. I only did a single speaking event, which I really got because I was the Everything is a Remix guy. And in an especially cruel twist, a promising distribution deal vanished just as contracts were about to be signed because Amazon suddenly stopped carrying small independent docs on Prime Video. I think they made this decision because of a deluge of bullshit conspiracy docs.
This is Not a Conspiracy Theory certainly had successes. Its YouTube offshoots – The Return of Magic and Constantly Wrong – lead to a series of videos with The New York Times. And the project had a decently successful launch and went on to sell almost 10 thousand units, which, I mean, who gets that with a self-distributed documentary? But those sales happened over eight years, and most of them came at the start.
Now, I fully realize that selling many thousands of downloads of a doc and working with The New York Times is the kind of success many dream of. If I’d done this in 2010, I’d have been elated. But trajectory is everything, and at this stage of my career, this was, in sum, a failure. I needed to reverse the trend.
The new version of Everything is a Remix Part 1 (2021)
After being immersed for years in the sad, scary world of conspiracy theories, it had to be something lighter, more optimistic and more fun. Everything is a Remix remained my most popular video but it was also quite out of date and the filmmaking and storytelling felt rudimentary. I thought it needed a near total overhaul, so I decided to reboot it and do it again. I was trying to give people what they want, but it wasn’t a chore. I still love Everything is a Remix and I was able to fully connect with the material again. It was a joyful experience.
But the reboot of Everything is a Remix turned out to be a similar sort of failure to This is Not a Conspiracy Theory. (Or so it appears right now. It could explode tomorrow, who knows?) Part 1 was decently successful, but Parts 2 and especially 3, both of which I worked hard on and am proud of, were flops. I re-watched them while making Part 4 and honestly, I just found it heartbreaking that so few people watched them. (Needless to say, this does not apply to you, avid fan. You are one of the superior people, both in intellect and physical beauty. Reading this far is further demonstration of your excellence.)
Midway through production of the new Everything is a Remix, my son, Kirby Ferguson Ryan, was born. It took Nora and me many, many years to conceive, but once we did, the pregnancy was smooth and absolutely joyous. A new chapter in my life opened, my worldview shifted, fatherly clichés were typed. I’d been thinking of changing my career for years, but with the birth of my son it was set in stone. I had to do be a better provider. Everything is a Remix started my internet filmmaker career… and it would end it.
The all new Everything is a Remix Part 4, which is entirely different from the original version
The series ended with a bang. Everything is a Remix Part 4, also known as Artificial Creativity, matched the views of the first part and was incredibly well-received. I was especially pleased that Melanie Mitchell liked it and shared it. As a friend described her, she is one of the few non-crazy people on this topic and I was heavily influenced by her book.
(Small tangent here while I brag. Everything is a Remix was completed just as AI and image generation were exploding. Even though it mostly doesn’t amount to much, the timing on my big swings has been spectacularly good.)
But similar to everything I’ve done since 2012, Everything is a Remix Part 4 failed to achieve escape velocity. Artificial Creativity was – and is – the best I can do. I left it all on the floor. It brought a couple awesome projects to me, but it's not been game-changing.
And that, my friends, brings us up to the present.
There's no other way to put it: this is a disappointing end. This exit is tinged with resentment, or maybe marinated in it. And right now, I’m going to let that feeling have the floor. I liked doing what I was doing and would have kept doing it if I’d had more success. And yes, I am painfully aware that plenty about my fate after Everything is a Remix is my fault.
I know this is a spoiled perspective. Thousands of people love me, I made a beloved and influential piece of internet culture, and my retirement has been met with over a hundred sincere expressions of gratitude. I’ve read every one of them and was moved by them all. I’ll be sharing some of these messages and honoring them in the months ahead. But right now, bitterness occupies me more than gratitude. As the kids say, I’m not gonna lie.
The Kirby of 2010 might find my attitude here ungrateful and annoying. But his trajectory was upward. Mine is downward and that makes all the difference. For now, fuck this stupid culture.
I don’t intend to let this bitterness win. I don’t intend to lug it around for the rest of my life. I’m letting it out here in hopes that it’ll start fading.
And y’know what? I think it is.
If this message sounds dark, I actually don’t feel dark. This is a single thread within my life. It’s an important one but it’s no longer that important. Right now is a golden era in my life. Having a child is the most joy I’ve had since being a child myself.
My intent here is to start processing my disappointment and developing gratitude. I know that feeling pride and fulfillment over this period is actually the more rational take.
Even though my exit wasn’t what I wanted, I do think it’s for the best. It’s time to transition to a new role and explore new realms.
So. What’s next? I don’t have the answer. But I’m going to move towards one and I’ll start talking about it next time. In the meantime, if anybody wants to talk opportunities, just hit reply.
As always, it's actually me on the other end of these. Feel free to reply. I can't always respond to everything, but I do read everything.
Till next time, enjoy every sandwich.
Kirby
P.S. Super fans might be speculating that my retirement is related to a video I made for NYT with Lindsay Crouse. But it’s not.
Look at you! Reading all the way to the very bottom of the email! You are the elite of the elite!
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The last newsletter was one of the most impactful ones I’ve ever sent. I got well over a hundred replies and counting. Almost all of them were incredibly kind and supportive, a few were passive aggressive, and a few were baffling. A couple of you are even full-on stupid arseholes!
Before I go on, I made a FUCK THIS STUPID CULTURE t-shirt and you definitely shouldn’t buy it. This is a limited edition joke. Don’t get yours by Monday, the 17th, when I will stop selling them and pretend this never happened.
Anyway, I heard from old fans, old friends, new fans, new friends, and even an ex-girlfriend. Many of you shared stories of similar experiences. It was moving, beautiful, and informative. Thank you all for writing. I’ll be talking more about this and what I learned from you all in coming mailings.
In the meantime, a book on this subject you might enjoy is From Strength to Strength, which is about finding happiness, fulfillment and success in the second half of life. It’s not totally applicable to my own personal experience. It’s more about how to cope with the loss of mental speed, agility and focus that is an inevitable part of aging. The answer is shifting to the kind of thinking that strengthens as we age: wisdom. This isn’t really my issue because the young-style of thinking was never really my thing. Nonetheless, I’m getting a lot out of the book and I think many of you will too.
Also, Everything is a Remix Part 1 and the complete cut have been blocked on YouTube by Led Zeppelin. It’s always the richest motherfuckers who exert their copyright with the most absurd pettiness. And yes, one of the claims was over the “Taurus” comparison, but it’s an algorithm behind this, folks, not a person.
100% of the copyright issues I’ve had with the new version of the series have been Led Zeppelin. Everybody else just divvies up the ad revenue. (I get no revenue from any of these videos.)
I'm working on fixes and appeals and the original videos should go back online hopefully soon.
Alright, what’s next?! I’ll be answering this question over coming newsletters for both you and myself. I’ll be thinking aloud semi-publicly. This will be a work-in-progress.
This isn’t just a possibility—it’s what I’m doing right now. I’m now working as a freelance writer, video producer, and creative director. I love this work, I love telling stories, and I’ve worked with some great clients. I’ve worked with big publications like The New York Times and I have a new AI video in the works with Bloomberg. I’ve worked with the awesome science and math video education company Generation Genius, as well as my long-time pal and fellow Canadian, Roz Allen of Double Barrel. I’ve even been doing content creation work for other people, like the wonderful Nick Milo and his blossoming YouTube channel Linking Your Thinking. It’s been fun to see a video about a web browser, which we made in hours, go a little bit viral and rack up some views. (Definitely switch to the Arc browser, by the way. If you reply I’ll send an invite code if I still have some.)
So why don’t I just commit fully to freelance video work? Maybe I will! Maybe I can get more recurring work and it can stabilize and become more antifragile. This possibility is probably the top contender right now, but freelance video production, like any kind of freelancing, means getting gig after gig after gig endlessly and that is a tricky business. It’s also difficult to scale. It’s service work and I only have so many hours in the day. (I know that I could launch a studio, but I’ve worked enough in that world to know that’s just not a business I want.)
Video writing and production is the short- and medium-term and maybe it’ll become the long-term. I’m open to that. I’m open to anything. If you want to work with me, just hit reply, but please note that the budget should at least be, let’s call it, medium. I don’t do low-budget work, sorry. I can’t make a go of it on those projects, but best of luck with yours.
One of the main activities in my spare time will be this newsletter. In these messages, I’ll be exploring new possibilities and pursuing a variety of interests just like I always have. The way you know me is not going away, but the format of my thoughts will be text, which is far faster and easier to create than my bonkers video style.
The subject matter of this newsletter will be eclectic. I’ll be talking about this next phase of life I’m entering. (What do we call it? The Pivot? Reinvention? The Midlife Remix?) I’ll be talking about making money, being happy, being healthy, being a family member or a friend, being part of a community. In a nutshell, a lot of this will just be about life. And I'll still be writing about technology and AI, media and culture. Those will still be there.
This newsletter will be the Kirby Ferguson hub. It will be published weekly, maybe not forever, but for the next while. Consistency is a weak suit of mine and I'm aiming for a small moral victory by locking down the schedule of this newsletter. Without giant personal video projects hogging all my bandwidth, I'm feeling confident.
If you'd like to support this newsletter, come back me on Patreon or make a one-time donation here.
Folks, thanks for being there. You’re an inspiration to me, I hope I’m an inspiration to you. Whatever you do: don't buy that shirt!
See you next week!
Kirby
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Something I am proud of with my original video work is this. The top priority was always to push myself to do the best I could, to make it good.͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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A core component of the next phase is to build a new kind of business.͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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