Hi friends,

Remember me?

Well, my name is David — that curious (and hopefully insightful) Internet guy you used to receive emails from every Monday before he disappeared for a little while.

This is my first Musings since January and the time away has given me a bunch of clarity over where I want to take my writing.

Instead of sending emails every Monday, I’ll share articles here whenever they’re ready. Some will be short, others will be long, but they’ll generally be more personal and true to what I’m thinking about — both in life and what I’m learning by building Write of Passage.

I also have extra time to write now because Write of Passage Cohort 10 is open for enrollment, which has me fired up about the thought of writing more often. If you want to hear details about the upcoming cohort, click here to receive updates about it. (I’ve shared more details at the bottom of this email too.)

Now, on to today’s short article about how to be more perceptive.

Sensitivity Isn't Static

People assume they’re born with a fixed level of sensitivity, which I define as sensory awareness. But the strength of our senses adjusts in response to our environment. This is important because great creatives are great noticers, and it’s hard to be a great noticer when your awareness goes numb.

I notice my sensitivity change whenever I return to a city after some time in nature. Before leaving, I barely notice all the concrete or the ambient cacophony of cars around me. But once I return, I experience a circuit overload — as if my nervous system is surrounded by trees while my body’s cast in concrete.

The body demands homeostasis, and after some time in the city, I become less sensitive as a protection mechanism. I automatically (and unconsciously) respond to the overstimulation by numbing my senses. Though it’s an effective way to survive in raucous environments, it leads to a dull and disembodied internal life. When you’re numb, it’s hard to make the kinds of observations that generate quality writing.

Loud sounds squash my sensitivity more than anything else. Aesthetically, so much of the ugliness of modern cities is downstream of noise pollution. When considering the costs of cars, people fail to account for how loud they are. Cities are riddled with noise — screeching subways, the bangs of construction, and gas-guzzlers without mufflers.

I also wonder how much the declining popularity of classical music and the subsequent rise in EDM and hip-hop is downstream of urban noise. The sounds of popular music are indeed characterized by louder noises and less dynamic range.

Sensitivity makes you more externally perceptive, but also more internally self-aware. For proof, look no further than the reports from meditation retreats. It only takes a few days for people to notice the emotions they’d previously been ignoring. After a few more days, they can identify the stories behind those emotions and even pinpoint the exact coordinates where those emotions live in the body. The sisters of silence and reflection reveal how much the noise of modern life downs out subtle perceptions and the whispering vibrations all around us.

The sensitivity of our senses ebbs and flows based on who we’re with and where we are. If you’re looking to be more perceptive, start by changing your environment.

Write of Passage Cohort 10

My writing course, Write of Passage, helps you shatter mental barriers and share your ideas with the world. In a five-week sprint, you’ll refine your craft and publish your ideas. And you’ll do it alongside the most curious, driven group on the Internet: our students, your peers.

In Write of Passage, you will:

• Build your writing system, sharpen your thinking, and publish quality ideas.
• Level up and be consistent, with guidance from our staff of 35 editors and mentors.
• Build specific, writing-related skills in Deep Dives (e.g., a session on audience growth led by a Twitter legend, Cultural Tutor).

Our next cohort runs from April 17 – May 24. I’ll be sharing stories, ideas, and writing-related lessons over the next couple of weeks. Click the button below to receive updates about the course.

​Enrollment is now open, and we're also accepting scholarship applications. You can join through April 12, or until we fill our allotted number of seats.