@writingslowly.bsky.social
My name's Richard and I live on Bidjigal land, Sydney. I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters (https://writingslowly.com/shuhari-book/). Find me at Writingslowly.com though one day I may speed up.
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
21.02.2026 03:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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
19.02.2026 23:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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
09.02.2026 11:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0💬 “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
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
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
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
12.12.2025 11:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Really helpful thoughts on creating a Zettelkasten
08.12.2025 05:21 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0I'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...
08.12.2025 05:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
💬 "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
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
🎬 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
23.11.2025 09:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0“Each person possesses a mind with powers that are… always unique. — César Aira.
In an age of ‘thinking’ machines, what is the feat that only you could have carried out?
#WritingCommunity #UniqueVoice #AIandWriting #Blogging
"💬 “The way we organise our online lives bleeds into the way we organise the rest of our social interactions. If it’s just assumed without question that the online space is a fiefdom, then democracy everywhere is undermined.”"
Why... https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/20/the-way-we-organise-our.html
"💬 “When I was a kid I used to practice my music in public by busking. And I always busked where the crowds were, not down an empty back alley where no one was listening. My parents disapproved, until I told them how much I was earning. I... https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/19/when-i-was-a-kid.html
18.11.2025 18:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
What is the feat that only you could have carried out?: https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/18/what-is-the-feat-that.html
18.11.2025 11:03 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Remembering Tea Master Sen Genshitsu (1923-2025), who spread peace through sipping.
His philosophy is quoted on page 53 of my book, Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning: writingslowly.com/shuhari-b…
#SenGenshitsu #Chado #Peace #ShuHaRi #UNESCO
An audience of 1,000 is seated in an auditorium, attentively facing a stage or speaker.
A crowd of 250 people enthusiastically clapping and cheering in an indoor venue.
A Reddit post from r/Zettelkasten discusses the debate on assigning unique IDs to notes, mentioning timestamps and Luhmann's method, with engagement metrics displayed below, showing 14,000 total views.
An audience of 10,000 watches a professional tennis match in a well-lit indoor stadium.
Why niche blogs and Small Rooms still win - even in the age of technofeudalism: https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/16/why-niche-blogs-and-small.html
16.11.2025 12:08 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Hey @manton now that micro.blog is getting very serious about video, perhaps there should be a video emoji on the discovery list. I’d love to be able to find more easily the videos micro.blog users will be making!
13.11.2025 09:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Auto-generated description: Three book covers featuring Speak Spanish in 8 Days, Learn to Ski in a Weekend, and The Ten Day Draft: A Writer's Guide to Finishing a Novel in Ten Days.
A group of monks dressed in traditional robes and sandals walk in a solemn procession along a street.
There's a fundamental flaw in how we learn about expertise: https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/07/theres-a-fundamental-flaw-in.html
07.11.2025 01:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Matsumoto cityscape with a mix of modern and traditional buildings is set against a backdrop of mountains.
📷 From the top of the castle the town seemed to have been poured into its valley, where it flowed gently.
My book, Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, is out now. Please check it out.
#Matsumoto #Photography #JapanCulture #ShuHaRi #Learning #Nonfiction #JapanTravel
"💬 “How convincing does the illusion of understanding have to be before you stop calling it an illusion?”"
That’s the question James Somers asks in The New Yorker.
My answer: Fail to see the illusion and you’ll fail to ... https://writingslowly.com/2025/11/05/how-convincing-does-the-illusion.html
