Saturday Side Quest - Thanksgiving Vibes & Black Friday Discount
Where has faith and fandom intersected this week?
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S. and I find myself in a bizarre space from many others, more than likely. When it’s an aspect of my career to consume media and write on it, I’ve found myself taking the time away from work to be away from consuming much of anything (besides dessert, of course). This is often a season of recharge and pulling away for a breath of fresh air, which is often not relaxing the same way many others do during this time.
That said, there is a much shorter list of Will it preach? at the end of this one. But that’s a sign of health, not overwhelm.
I’ve considered writing about digital self-care on this blog, and likely will eventually. It’s a meaningful conversation. What does it look like for digital natives to take care of themselves? Those not in this space will say we need to ‘get off our devices and touch grass.’ That’s not untrue, but it’s also not always the correct answer. Sometimes, the better path to improved mental health doesn’t involve abstinence but intentionality through awareness.
For instance, my best pursuit of health right now is allowing myself to do things spontaneously—it can be as simple as not being something for work.
Amid the cozy Thanksgiving season, we are enjoying time with family and our kids. I believe we’ll likely see a lights festival to kick off the season, and I’m excited to see that through the eyes of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old.
I’m excited for the day we get to take them Black Friday shopping. That isn’t everyone’s favorite activity, but it’s a joy for me. I am a gift giver and enjoy looking at gifts for others without a need to buy them. Just the thought of giving brings me joy.
Speaking of—I’m running a promotion here on Pixel & Pulpit. If you’d like a subscription, enjoy a 25% discount for the year.
That will allow you to read the remainder of this post. :)
Our main post this week was on AI and human creativity. I have to admit that AI is quickly becoming one of my least preferred topics of discussion. It feels increasingly difficult to maintain my neutral, if not skeptical, stance.
I’ve had a consistent target audience in mind for all of my posts thus far on AI, and I’m afraid they simply aren’t reaching them. I would love more conversations on AI ethics and bold calls for excellence. Instead, I continue to see many leaders in the space share lazy generative slop.
It’s certainly not everyone I know in the space. I’ve appreciated my friend Jason Moore and his stance on human polish for generative content. His material could never be called lazy.
I also appreciate the work of those finding and sharing methodologies for administrative tasks beyond image and video generation. I find those to be novelty at best. I’m much more impressed by AI's mechanics than by its ability to mass-produce uninteresting art.
Speaking of Jason, I’ve got his book and look forward to reading it soon. Unlike his prior Both/And work, I wouldn’t consider myself ‘in’ the AI space.
Relating to Pixel & Pulpit, we’ve got an exciting milestone ahead. I’m 25 subscribers away from 1k here on Substack—I need to come up with some way to celebrate the moment when we get there. This has been a fun platform to learn. While I haven’t had the same viral growth here that I see many others have, I’ve also not been terribly consistent. I’ve been working hard on doing that these last few months, and I hope 2025 will be a year of much growth here. Maybe we’ll be celebrating 10k this time next year.
Will It Preach?
I finished a few things this week, so I will reflect on them in this space. Would they preach? See if you agree with my take.
Woman of the Hour (2024)
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut is a stunning portrayal of the oft-created serial killer narrative. This one is true, or at least held in reality, as it is the story of a killer featured on an episode of The Dating Game. One of the best aspects of this film is Kendrick’s unapologetic exploration of the male gaze from the female perspective. The killer is not glamorized. In honesty, not much time is spent with the killer at all. The terror is one that women experience from killers and men alike, which is haunting in and of itself. Will preach.
The Credit Roll
These are some of the things I found this week that I am sharing as a bonus. Enjoy my custom For You feed.
There is a coalition of educators who play video games and are trying to band together on TikTok.
A melancholic, but surprisingly inspirational exploration of humanity, sadness, and creativity by a singer-songwriter who makes puppets.
This perfectly captured recreation of every survival game ever made when you get stuck.
Let me know what you like with this side quest content. I am enjoying the process, but it still feels like something is missing. I’d appreciate ideas and feedback!
I’ll likely try to compare and contrast with the latest experiments from my friend Jim Keat on How to do Digital Ministry and his ‘Five Thing Friday’ experiment. I’m a fan of curative processes like these and could always use my peers to learn from.