filter the fluff, vol. 9 - race, money & influencer thinkpieces

photo by David Willardson, 1980

I'm back with another edition of filter the fluff. 

Let's get to it.

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Filter the Fluff, Vol 8 - General Millennial Stuff

It's time another edition of filter the fluff!

Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. My only criteria is that each article is thought-provoking in some way.

The last quarter of the year was kinda iffy in terms of can't-stop-reading content, but here are a few posts that literally made me want to grab a cup of tea before reading.

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Filter the Fluff, Vol 7 - Girl Power

I'm back for another edition of filter the fluff! Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. My only criteria is that each article is thought-provoking in some way.

I was thumbing through my bookmarks today and realized I have a few favorites that all center around the theme of womanhood in relation to career, food, and faith. Let's get to it.

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Filter the Fluff, Vol. 6 - Nutrition Edition

Oh, look! It's time for another edition of filter the fluff!

Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, I only have one rule: it should be thought-provoking. Lately, it seems like all the food and wellness-themed posts have been jumping out at me, so today's roundup is a very special nutrition edition. Grab a cup of coffee/tea, pull up a chair, and settle in for some interesting foodie reads.

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Filter the Fluff, Vol. 5 - On Creativity

Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. There are so many vapid pieces floating around these days, making it more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, I only have one rule: it should be thought-provoking. The following (listed below) were just that. 

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Creatives share their routines when dealing with burnout, shock and overwhelm

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"...many prolific artists or authors (those who’d written hundreds of novels or created countless artworks in their lives) only spent a few hours each day creating. It is a lesson I’ve learned over and over in my 10 years as a working creative. You don’t need every hour of every day to accomplish great things. Which is lucky, because our work should supplement our life, not be our life. 

People won’t connect to how little sleep you lost over a project or how often you post, they will connect to how deeply they can relate to your work. Those flames burning inside you need to be fed. That well that you draw your ideas from needs to be filled. For the sake of good art, spend more time daydreaming and exploring."

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Filter the Fluff, Vol. 4 - Bloggers Edition

Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. There are so many vapid pieces floating around these days, making it more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, I only have one rule: it should be thought-provoking. The following (listed below) were just that. 

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Filter the Fluff, Vol. 3

Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. There are so many vapid pieces floating around these days, making it more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, I only have one rule: it should be thought-provoking. The following (listed below) were just that. 

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Filter the Fluff, Vol. 2

Every now and then, I come across some really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share it here. When I share something, I want it to have real substance. Unfortunately there are so many vapid pieces out there, and it's becoming more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, the article should only be one thing: thought-provoking. The following (listed below) were just that. Instead of explaining them in my own words, I have pasted some excerpts.

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Filter the Fluff: Thoughtfully Written Articles in a Sea of Filler Content

If there is one thing I do more than anything else, it is read.

I am always reading something. There is always a book on my nightstand and at least three more "on deck" nearby. There is also always a few library books on hold or in queue at my local library; I have one ready for pickup at this very moment. My Goodreads list is long, and there have been actual times at night when I chose finishing a book over curling up under the comfort of my SO. As I type this, I realize how horrible it sounds. But these are my truths.

A while back I wrote about how I get so free magazine subscriptions, I failed to mention the reason why I subscribe to so many: because I love reading the articles. There is nothing better, to me, on a leisurely Saturday afternoon than being able to sit on the sofa in front of the tv with a stack of unread magazine issues. I love it. (At the moment, W magazine has my favorite pieces, and I even get digital copies of Nylon each month, which I promptly download to my iBooks folder.)

But wait, there's more!

I also have a carefully curated digital RSS feed, constantly pinging me throughout the day when there is a new article. If something catches my eye, I will click on it (and I am no sucker for clickbaity headlines either - I have mastered the art of quality article discernment) (which means I pass on quite a few). If I am swimming in work, I will bookmark it for later. And please believe, I will read it later. I also have the newsfeed app (Inoreader) synced to my phone, that way I can stay up-to-date on all the articles I might otherwise miss out on while I am not at my computer. You know in the elevator? Or in the coffee line? When you see people scrolling through their phone on social media? I am standing right next to them, scrolling through my newsfeed.

But wait, there's more!

When I was a kid, my mom would make me read from the dictionary and learn a new word each day. Here is the thing about the dictionary: it has a whole bunch of words you already know, so finding a new word can take more time than it sounds. Here is the thing about me reading the dictionary: I literally did not complain about it, not even on the inside. It was no big deal for me. I just kept reading until I found a new word. This is probably where my affinity for reading began. Thanks, Mom.

There is a point to all of this, point being that every now and then I come across some great write-ups and get the urge to share it here in this space. But it does not happen often enough for me to make it a regular series, similar to Amber's Sunday Morning Coffee series or Today I'm Bobbi's This and That series. When I share something, I want to have real substance, and unfortunately there are so many vapid pieces out there that it becomes more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, it needs to be one thing: thought-provoking.

The articles listed below were just that. Instead of explaining them in my own words, I have pasted some excerpts.

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