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Tree of Life: a few lessons on living with death
The tree of life and a dream about death Straddling the ridge of the roof, my dad stretched to cut the top of a dead tree with a saw. I was on the ground, holding the ends of a rope looped around the trunk. Once cut, I was to pull the tree away from the house. This was late February. My mom died the week prior. No longer a tree of life, my dad was afraid that this dead thing might bring the house down. The night before this, I dreamt about a gnarly and squat living tree. In the dream, I dangled from a branch that ran parallel to…
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Through my mother’s eyes: the October Personas Project revisited
Sons and Mothers And here now is a twist to the October Personas Project: it was, in more ways than one, about my mother. Save the few sports, school, or recent photos, my mom was often the one behind the lens, snapping thousands of candid pictures. But pictures weren’t her only medium. My mom was crafty and very good with many things. Professionally, she was a recreational therapist who worked with the developmentally disabled. Personally, she was an exceptional seamstress who made quilts, scarves, and costumes (see the scarecrow image below, a personal favorite). Plus, when she lived in Germany I’m told she began making leather purses and belts. My…
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The October past personas project
Awkward Sam-ily Photos: October past personas A lot has happened in 2023. My daughter was born. My mom and dog died. Outside of my personal sphere, I also witnessed many other entrances and exits with friends, family, and former college classmates. In total, a significant year of death and (re) birth. And what a time to acknowledge this: October, the month of Halloween – a time of disguises, the living dead, and changing personas. In October, we’re given license to be someone else. But if adding a dash of makeup and a dark outfit is all one needs to be someone else, it makes me wonder – how solid was…
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Peanut Butter Manifesto: binge eating my way to better consciousness
Between the ages of 17 (possibly earlier) through about the time I was about 29, I often used to feel overwhelmingly sad. These sad feelings started well before I began binge eating and stuck around for a while after. In retrospect, my sad feelings weren't dangerous (I was lucky). No, my sad feelings could have benefited from one simple factor: acknowledgment. And such acknowledgment could have come from me or could have come from other people.
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A few thoughts on the death of a parent
The meaning of life and death of a parent My mother died in February. The simple, clichéd truth is that the death of a parent changes your life. It’s not that everything changes exactly — many things stay the same — but rather that one’s experience of everything is altered. In losing a parent, the buffer between myself and my mortality is thinner. It’s always been thin, I suppose, but my understanding is more pronounced. In my mom’s death, my life is underscored. It will end. It’s hard to state the depth of this meaning. The feelings are much more complicated than a fear of dying (though the fear is…
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On having a voice: to be heard, start with yourself
Sam Buti · On having a voice: to be heard, start with yourself Voiceless while having a voice It wasn’t supposed to be like this. No one was supposed to hear me talk. Growing up, I didn’t have a voice. At least, I didn’t feel like I had a voice. Being the younger brother to a much older sister, it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Plus, my parents were often fighting, stressed over finances and survival. The environment was chaotic, and to be heard was a rare occurrence. Hearing myself talk On top of this, I was born with a foghorn of a mouth. Interestingly, most of my…
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How to sound good when you don’t like how you sound
Sam Buti · How to sound good when you don’t like how you sound How to sound good When I was young, I hated my voice. I hated my voice so much that I was convinced that my best option was to become a mime. But before you go running to the hills, terrified that this is about to devolve into a tug of war with an imaginary rope, hear me out (yes, I, too, see the irony). I thought that I was destined to become a mime NOT because I had some affinity for miming, striped shirts, face-paint, or exaggerated eyebrows, but rather I thought that I was destined…
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Getting past rejection
Getting over no and moving past rejection The entertainment industry is filled with rejection. Big Tech is filled with rejection (see: recent layoffs). In fact, all industries are filled with rejection. You know this. But that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens to you. If you’ve recently been rejected from a job, a dream, a person, or a situation, I feel for you. I’m bummed on your behalf. I can only imagine how you feel. But if you were recently rejected, I’m also very proud of you. Proud? Yes, proud. You put yourself in a situation where you could be rejected. This takes courage. You’re putting yourself out…
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Use Chartable to find your Apple Podcast Chart’s Rank
Use Chartable to find your Apple Podcast Chart’s Rank When it comes to finding your show on Apple Podcasts, use Chartable to find your Apple Podcast Charts ranking. Without a doubt, Chartable is a superior resource than the Apple Podcast App. First of all, the Apple Podcast Charts aren’t easy to find within the app. You may have to do some digging. Second of all, the Apple Podcast Charts by category or sub-category are even harder to find, and the sub-category charts don’t display the ranking numbers. So if visibility and details are what you want, again — use Chartable. How to use Chartable to find your ranking Chartable is…
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How to improve your content strategy
One tweak to improve your content strategy Many companies send emails as a piece of their content strategy. But many of these same companies don’t seem to consider their content strategy before marketing. Marketing, unfortunately, tends to come first – and then sales quickly thereafter. Of course, these two strategies aren’t mutually exclusive. They go hand-in-hand. But tell me, is your content strategy playing third-string to your marketing and sales efforts? I’m wiling to bet that without a clear content strategy, your engagement rate is lower than you’d like. And if your numbers are low, here’s a quick way to improve them. Take Amazon Prime Video’s content, for example… When…
