letter number one: saturday, february 8, 2025

Congratulations, everyone! We’ve survived both January and the first week of February. I hope y’all are ready for the return of Winter next week and then, I’m assuming, the re-return of Spring a few days after that. I’ll be so for real, my sinuses cannot take this.

This week, I have a few updates from things I’ve been working on, and then I have three friends I want to introduce you to.

So, uh, let’s go?

The only way to begin is by beginning.
- Sam Reich

I Bought A Camera | 2.1.25

In Defense Of Learning New Things At 35

I have spent most of my life with creative people, partly as a consequence of the jobs I’ve found myself working, and partly because birds of a feather tend to strut around and peck for food in the same places. So I’ve always been around people with cameras.

But I’ve never owned one. Like a proper one. So I reached out to a photog friend who helped me find a good deal on a little Fuji X-3E, and then I sat and read the manual for it and then watched about six YouTube videos and then said to myself, “you know what, if I bought this thing to take photos with, I should just go take photos with it.”

And I did.

I’ve learned that I need to practice seeing. I know how to operate the little switches and dials for the most part and I understand the exposure triangle (again, I’ve lived my whole life around camera dorks), but knowing how to physically operate the thing doesn’t mean you know how to take good photographs with the thing.

I don’t even think I understand what a good photograph is. And like once upon a time, that would’ve scared me. It would’ve sent me down a three-week rabbit hole and I would’ve come up for air not having learned anything except how frustrated this new thing has made me because I wasn’t instantly like the best of all time.

But it doesn’t worry me anymore, because I’m letting myself discover something new. I’m letting myself learn how to see by looking. I’m letting myself figure out what a good image is not by critiquing something I saw on a photography subreddit, but by making images. I’m letting myself, I don’t know, kinda suck at it and figure out how to be a little bit better next time. I may get okay at it, but it’s not going to come without some time and some repetitions and... well, some seeing.

And I think we could all use a little practice at that.

Ah shoot, I think I turned this into a metaphor.

FOUR HUNDRED BILLION SUNS | 2.4.25

A Sketch

When I get free moments, I make little sound sketches. Literally it’s just building a little room around an idea, technique, motif, whatever. I did that this week with a scratchy, bouncy little synth I was building and cut up a Brian Cox quote to bake into it. (full disclosure, I super don’t love the way his voice is mixed in this. But that’s okay because it’s okay for sketches to not be perfect. In this house, we practice by making.)

I’ve found that sketches are useful for generating ideas, they’re a helpful bank to reach into when ideas are running a little dry, and they’re nice to have around when people ask “so like do you have a catalog?” You don’t have to publish sketches or even use them for anything. It’s okay to let them just sit in a folder. You’re allowed to make something for the sake of making something.

Anyway, here’s a moody (and hopefully inspiring?) little sketch for you.

FOUR HUNDRED BILLION SUNS

POETRY | 2.5.25

a prayer

In my city right now, ICE agents are still descending, and they’ve been descended. We know of raids taking place in Brookhaven, Chamblee, Lilburn, and Cartersville, which have resulted in rounding up people like 53-year-old Walter Valladares, a Honduran construction worker with no criminal record other than driving without a license (which he already paid the appropriate fine for).

The lack of leadership and transparency in the raids has also led to people in at least three states impersonating ICE agents for the sole purpose of detaining and harassing Latino people, regardless of their naturalization status.

These raids, and the spirit behind the raids, are only the beginning of what will likely be a turbulent four years for anybody who is not straight, white, male, and (the right kind of?) Christian.

Anyway, this broke my heart this week, so I wrote a poem about it.

I write sporadically about things like faith over on Substack.

A Prayer

FRIENDS WHO MAKE | 2.8.25

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART.

If I’ve still got you, I want to tell you about some friends who are doing really great work (and all of whom are available to book btw).

The PLAN is that, over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to hear from them about what they’re into, what keeps them working, what tips they have for fellow makers, that kind of thing.

Remember, I don’t fully know what this thing is, yet. And I know the schedule is a little bit thrown off because this is technically the second week of the year. But three feels so much better than two, so I’m sticking with three. This is my newsletter, and I’ll run it how I want.

Cole is exactly the type of dude you want designing your motion graphics and vfx. He is thorough and detail-oriented, and, especially around my circles, his name is sort of synonymous with a frustratingly high level of quality. “Of course Cole made that,” we say sort of flippantly.

Of course he did.

But really, you should just see for yourself.

Cole

The first time I really got to know Kevin, we were staying in a hotel in DC that had bunk beds and a vaguely frosted pane of glass separating the sleeping room from the bathroom and shower. Since then, for the last three years, we’ve worked together every single day, and I can honestly say he’s one of the most talented filmmakers you’ll find. If you have film needs (or just want to get inspired), check out his film venture CloudFire.

Kevin

She’s last, but she’s far from least—and not only because she has the same last name as me. My sister KB is sort of a wunderkind? On the one hand, she’s sort of taking over the headshot and event portraiture market in New York, but she’s also COO of an event management company that is out here racking up rad clients left and right.

Anyway, if you need portraiture done and you’re in NYC, Atlanta, or Miami, look her up. Same if you need an event put on. Same if you need, like, a hair model. Seriously, she does it all.

Double A Management

DENOUEMENT | 2.8.25

THANKS

I rarely know what I’m doing, but following where the inspiration has led me is literally what has brought me to where I am today. Time will tell whether it was ultimately all a mistake, but I get the feeling that…it wasn’t.

So I’ll be honest: I don’t know exactly what this is going to look like, going forward. The only thing I can tell you to expect is change. Sure, I want to keep you informed on what I’m up to (ostensibly why you’d sign up for a newsletter on a website that literally has my name) but more than that, I want to keep you inspired.

Make things, as often as possible. They don’t have to be good, they don’t have to work, they don’t have to see the light of day. But making has helped me, and it will continue to help me, and I believe it will help you, too.

I’ll see you next week, everybody.

hamilton.