Cristian's Commonplace

In this entry: A rant on change and related recommendations! Turning Pages & New Chapters If you take a moment to think about it, life is nothing but transition. Every one of us is in a constant state of change, no matter who or where we are. For starters, you can go the very literal route, with examples like the cell turnover rate at the foundation of our bodies or that when you finish reading this sentence, you will be a few seconds older. However, I want to point out the more obvious...

In this entry: A silly, simple piece on driving and productivity & an update on upcoming entries! The Road Densely Traveled 🚘 How Driving and Traffic Provide Simple Yet Helpful Metaphors for Growth It’s relatively easy to forget how complicated something like driving can be. Years after receiving your license, you might be able to hop in a car and drive without much effort or concentration. This is especially the case if you have your accustomed routes and destinations. Get in, go, get out....

In this entry: A special announcement & new Golden Lines! It's Been a Long Time Coming Don't ask me why, but back in college, I used to run a few miles around campus in the middle of the night. One night, as I followed my usual path through the University of Northern Iowa's defrosting grounds, I noticed bursts of light in the distance. As I approached the area, the source of the lights became much more evident. I saw that the flickering was only coming from the tennis courts nestled near the...

In this entry: A new piece on the importance of community & some related recommendations! Finding Our Way Back to Each Other 🤝 Why Community Is the Trend We All Need You remember it, don’t you? That confining isolation we all experienced a couple of years ago because of the pandemic. Every day, time seemed to stretch and bend, and the weirdness of our frightening, collective situation was very much real yet elusive. And despite the drawn-out days, that entire period seemingly vanished in a...

In this entry: A writing update & some recent obsessions! Writing With Confidence Starts Now It's safe to say that I'm finally stepping into my life as a writer—and it's so damn fulfilling! This past month, I started a seven-week writing workshop. As with anything new, I was naturally nervous for the first session. I'd been anticipating the class's start since officially locking in my enrollment. I've also wanted to take this specific workshop for a while, ever since I followed the...

In this entry: A response to Sean Baker's brilliant Oscars speech about the importance of cinemas, some Golden Lines from stuff I'm reading, & access to a new Medium article! The Cinema Is My Church 🍿🎬 Those who get it, get it “How could Spider-Man be in a movie?” I said, staring up at my tee ball coach from under the brim of my dusty cap. It was May in San Antonio, so it was hot. We had just finished a game, and the coach was handing out much-needed Gatorade. As I drank mine, he made small...

🚨 Hey, friend! Since you're a new subscriber, could you take a quick second and reply to this email? You can write absolutely anything—even a short "I got it!" I just want to make sure you received this first entry. Welcome to Cristian's Commonplace! 🤘 Can you help me? See, I have a problem. I'm a writer who rarely writes (and when I do, shares my writing) outside of work. So, after years of procrastination, it was time for me to come up with a solution. Either start writing or remove...