Splash No. 139 - Letter on Letters
A Letter on Letters
Many moons ago, when saving the USPS was the most important thing on Instagram stories, I acquired several books of stamps, convinced that my small sticky purchase would single-handedly save snail mail. With those stamps, I planned to write letters to my friends. I gathered addresses of friends across the country, organized them into a spreadsheet, and laid everything out perfectly! And five months later (a few weeks ago), I realized that I had only sent out a single letter.
Recently, I decided to return to my letter writing practice, in hopes of stopping the spats of writer’s block that I had been encountering recently. And write I did! Over the course of a week, I wrote four letters, letting my mind go, in a stream of consciousness that I can’t imagine made any sense. I was able to write more freely and more easily than in any other form. Rather than having to imagine a diverse audience for something like this newsletter or my future self for a journal, I could focus on the thoughts of a single person. Without knowing if and when I’d receive a response, I felt comfortable talking about subjects at length, letting my words speak for themselves. Like a man possessed, I wrote and wrote until my hand ached and my heart was full, day after day. It was lovely.
Playwright Sam Shepard described that the way that letter writing differs from “all other forms of writing is that it is dependent to a large extent on the other person. It’s not just a solo act.” Unlike other work, the audience plays an outsized role in determining what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. In the best moments, the writing process feels like a conversation.
What imperfect replacements have we found for the letter? We have phone calls, which require us to share a sense of time, something that’s harder now than ever. We have emails, which mimic the form of letters but rarely feel like the place for personal communication these days. And of course, we have a million types of instant messaging, which moves a million times quicker and never requires the same amount of attention or thought that a letter would.
Some of my most meaningful relationships were built on written communication. Through text, I’ve experienced every emotion possible, as I’ve learned to express myself, grow as a person, and to learn to have relationships with other people in new ways. And though there’s a big difference between writing letters and the text messages that helped to shape me into who I am today, I feel that I’ve always understood what Shepard was saying. That when writing to another, I was creating something that went beyond just me — an artistic collaboration to shape both of us. Text messages hinted at what a greater commitment to shared writing could bring.
And so, I hope to embody the spirit of the written letter in all that I do. Now that I’ve discovered the significant difference that a greater amount of attention to communication creates, it feels wrong to only communicate in worse forms. So perhaps I’ll aim to make this newsletter more like a written letter. Maybe I’ll just start sending pictures of my illegible handwriting. Or I’ll just mail some more letters.
Drops of the Week
ALBUM - Awakening (feat. Wendy Matthews) by Hiroshi Sato - there's this lovely genre of Japanese pop music from the 80s called City Pop and this album is a perfect example. It's extremely listenable and just puts you in a good mood.
ARTICLE - "The BuzzFeedification of Mental Health" by PE Moskowitz - fascinating perspective on mental health in 2021 and the way we think about it.
FILM - The Dig - just dirt and vibes
The president may not be a white supremacist, but there's still work to be done. With each day, we move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Ways you can help Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
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Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts— you can reply to this email if you loved or hated the letter, or you want to tell me about how your day has been. I'm all ears.
Epistolarily,
Nikhil