Writing Slowly

And it's only taken ten years to notice.

A large, ornate library reading room at the NSW State Library is filled with people seated at tables, surrounded by shelves of books.

A display case showcases pages from an artist’s book, featuring red, black, and white colors.

Two books on creating handmade books are displayed on a wooden surface.

A detailed architectural model of Sydney’s brutalist Sirius Building is displayed in a gallery setting surrounded by various framed posters and plans related to the structure.

Artists Books at the NSW State Library: https://writingslowly.com/2026/03/14/artists-books-at-the-nsw.html

The front and back covers of a book titled Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters by Richard Griffiths are displayed, highlighting themes of Japanese philosophy, personal growth, and mastery.

Why I wrote the book on Shuhari and what’s in it for you: https://writingslowly.com/2026/03/13/why-i-wrote-the-book.html

ROOTS - Return Old Online Things to your own Site
That’s what Lisa Charlotte Muth is doing at her website. And that’s what I’m doing with posts like Some urgent note-making questions find answers - bringing scattered material back together.

#IndieWeb #PKM #Blogging #NoteTaking #DigitalSovereignty

Writing Slowly

Podcast listening overtakes radio? The New Publishing Standard.

Congratulations are due to Dave Winer for an amazing achievement. Micro.blog has a great discovery tool for interesting podcasts. RSS FTW!

The name mig... https://writingslowly.com/2026/03/11/podcast-listening-overtakes-radio-the.html

Five freshly harvested radishes with leaves and soil are arranged on a wooden surface.

Some urgent notemaking questions find answers: https://writingslowly.com/2026/03/09/some-urgent-notemaking-questions-find.html

The Digital Humanities Now website has come out of hibernation and kicked back into gear. OK, so it took me a whole year to notice this, but better late than never to spot a very interesting resource.

#DigitalHumanities #AcademicWriting #AcademicResources #ResearchTools

Big Zettelkasten: a shady cabal of note-making scholars, most of whom are only pretending to be deceased. They undermine civilisation, one carefully-considered note at a time. #LowQualityFacts

Three people stand spaced apart in a large, industrial room with arched windows and sunlight casting long shadows.

AI isn’t making us obsolete: we already were, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Promethean shame in an age of technological change.

#Philosophy #PrometheanShame #AI #FutureOfWork #ethics #GüntherAnders

Fear of AI is nothing new: Promethean shame in a time of technological change: https://writingslowly.com/2026/03/02/fear-of-ai-is-nothing.html

A kitchen scene featuring a bright green open pantry shelf, two refrigerators (one labeled Fridge Broken DO NOT USE), and a person in a blue dress partially visible.

Guy Kawasaki says ‘move fast and break things’ is a myth. True! But since he can’t quite escape its toxic allure, I’ll say it for him, loudly and proudly:

Move slow and fix things. [guykawasaki.substack.com]

Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters is available now.

What's the true path of excellence?: https://writingslowly.com/2026/02/21/whats-the-true-path-of.html

A cat is sleeping on a sofa in a room with shelves full of books and a couple of guitars on stands.

Beginners and intermediate learners fear ‘making mistakes’; experts seldom do. Not because experts don’t make mistakes: they do. It’s just that experts know what to do next.

Here’s Herbie Hancock telling what he learned from his mentor Miles Davis: Every mistake is an opportunity [openculture.com].

💬 I want to be just like him.

Imitation is one of the most powerful and underrated stages of learning. Billy Strings' story of learning guitar by watching his dad is the clearest example I’ve ever seen.

writingslowly.com/2026/02/2…

#Learning #Education #Music #ShuHaRi

"I want to be just like him": https://writingslowly.com/2026/02/20/i-want-to-be-just.html

Ein Zettelkasten mit 6×4 Schubladen in einer Glasvitrine im Museum.

Im Jüdischen Museum in Wien kann man momentan Niklas Luhmanns Zettelkasten ansehen.

Er ist Teil einer Ausstellung übers Vergessen: www.jmw.at/ausstellung/...

“seemed” is really working overtime there

💬 “If it takes three years, find the right teacher.”
One way to find the right teacher is to start doing the work. Begin your learning journey visibly, and mentors may find you - writingslowly.com/2026/02/0…

How did you find your mentor?

#Learning #Mentorship #Writing #Creativity #shuhari

"💬 “If it takes three years, find the right teacher.”"

Sometimes the best way to find the right teacher is to start doing the work. Begin your learning journey visibly, and mentors may find you - like the barn builder who attracte... https://writingslowly.com/2026/02/09/if-it-takes-three-years.html

Leonard Koren on Life as an Aesthetic Experience

Discovery, aesthetics, and the art of self-publishing: my latest post explores Leonard Koren’s influence on my new book, Shu Ha Ri.

writingslowly.com/2026/02/0…

#WabiSabi #ShuHaRi #Japan #Aesthetics #WritingCommunity

The Spiral of Mastery: Why the Greatest Experts Are Serial Beginners The greatest experts aren’t afraid of starting again …

Dick Fosbury looked odd jumping backwards at the '68 Olympics. But he was willing to be a beginner again, and the 'Fosbury Flop' changed high jumping forever. True experts are willing to start over
writingslowly.com/2026/01/18/t...

#LifelongLearning #learning #BeginnersMind #GrowthMindset #ShuHaRi

The Spiral of Mastery: Why the Greatest Experts Are Serial Beginners The greatest experts aren’t afraid of starting again …

My tennis serve was rough after a long time off. But drilling the basics reminded me mastery is a loop. To move forward you have to be ready to go back to the start.
writingslowly.com/2026/01/18/t...
#shuhari #Shoshin #ZenMind #Philosophy #Mindfulness #Wisdom

Dugin is wrong; it’s not ‘eternity against modernity’. Reactionaries work hard to *invent* an imagined past and then make us live there

Really helpful thoughts on creating a Zettelkasten

I've been interested in Warburg's Zettelkasten for a while. It'll be great to see the cards themselves. writingslowly.com/2023/05/09/a...

Why Write Online? Why niche blogs and Small Rooms still win - even in the age of technofeudalism

💬 "When they email or text me about a post it feels like applause from a dark corner of a large, empty theater where I rehearse."

https://daniel.industries/2025/11/22/why-write-online/

/cc @writingslowlydealingwith https://indieweb.social/users/dealingwith/statuses/115596160677512931

Why Write Online? Why niche blogs and Small Rooms still win - even in the age of technofeudalism

Daniel kindly replied to my meandering questions about writing online, which circled the theme of ‘what’s the point?’

His blog is a commonplace book, written first for himself. He says blogs got hit hard by social media. I cal... https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/24/daniel-kindly-replied-to-my.html

"💬 “You cannot transcend a craft you have not yet learned.”"

hachyderm.io/@macf00ba…

#shuhari #LifelongLearning

Japanese paper films

🎬 Paper Films! In the 1930s, Japanese films were made on fragile paper rolls. Nearly lost forever, researchers have digitized and preserved this unique history! Learn more: Japanese Paper Films.

#PaperFilm #FilmHistory #JapaneseFilm #LostMedia #JapaneseFilmFestival #JapaneseHistory

A montage of the Japanese Paper Films presentation, showing stills from the paper reels.

Japanese paper films: https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/23/japanese-paper-films.html