L's–No Losses, Just Lessons

The journey of creating a brand is riddled with Ls. So far, I’ve worked mostly alone. Many collaborators are building their own creative venture, making this process lonelier and the climb toward success steeper. Nonetheless, I am eternally grateful for the generous souls who help make this process possible.

Capitalism is advertised.

Capitalism is advertised as the gateway to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

People’s wallets are more strained than ever. Achieving a happy, fulfilling life feels out of touch for most Americans I talk to. I estimate many of Earth’s citizens feel similarly. Since the election, I believe many people are united in grief—awestruck at the outcome. Life must go on. I am inspired by anger, pain, sorrow, spite, and love to assume control as the captain of my fate.

The 75th post of the Chicago series marks the end of an experiment to acquire followers on the Instagram account. If I conducted this experiment 10 years ago, my account would have blown up. The old days are never coming back. Entertainment and social media has evolved.

My pursuit was misguided, and I learned that I don’t actually want followers—I want to give people true value. To give you true value. I’m not here to hack people’s attention spans for $$$. Hopefully this archive of work is appreciated. I am grateful for my life, and knowing that I created a brand prioritizes, and does not exploit, human beings.

I do not set out to be a politician. I want to learn, inspire, seize every day of life, make dope shit with my friends and share love, resources, and happiness via art, design, and conversations.

My connections to art are comics, clothes, and design. My connection to design is from my parents who I honor by cherishing and honing each gift they’ve bestowed upon me. To solve problems without swords is the noblest craft.

If I do this, I know I will be happy and I will look forward to every day on earth. There’s a good chance that I’ll pour thousands of hours and dollars into the seed of this brand, but if I get to put some money in my friends’ pockets and make the world more beautiful tomorrow than it was today, then my life will be perfect.

Focus

Decide exactly what you want in your brand/life.

• Write down clearly and specifically. Make it measurable. Here’s an example. I will produce 5 product capsules in the next two years… A goal that is not in writing is merely a fantasy. It has no energy behind it.

• Set a deadline for your goal and set sub-deadlines. Your subconscious mind thrives on time-specific goals. For example: I will achieve 2 clothing capsules within eleven months and the other three within two years.

• Make a list of everything you will have to do to achieve your goal. Add to your list as you think of new activities and tasks, which you will. Keep adding to your list until it is complete.

• Organize your list into a plan. Decide what you need to do first and what you need to do later. Decide what must be done and in what order. Rework your plan until it is complete.

• Take action on your plan immediately. Do something, do anything, but get started. It’s amazing how many people fail because they don’t take action on their goals and plans.

• Resolve to do something every day that moves you toward your major goal, whatever it is at the moment. This discipline of doing something every day enables you to develop and maintain momentum. Daily action increases your determination and gives you energy. The single resolution, daily action, can turn your life around.

Values

1. What are the values, virtues, qualities, and traits are most important to you in each area of your life?

1. Vision

   1. If your life were perfect in this area five years from today, what would it look like?

2. Goals

   1. What specific goals must you achieve to fulfill your ideal future vision in that area?

3. Knowledge and Skills

   1. In what areas will you have to excel in the future to achieve your goals and fulfill your vision?

4. Habits

   1. What specific habits of thought and action do you need to become the person who is capable of achieving the goals you have set for yourself?

5. Daily Activities

   1. What specific activities do you have to engage in each day to ensure that you become the person you want to become and achieve the goals you want to achieve?

6. Actions

   1. What specific action or actions are you going to take immediately to begin realizing your ideal future vision?

Life Areas

• Business and Career

  • How do you become extremely successful and satisfied, and move to the top of your field?

• Family and Personal Life

  • How do you achieve balance between external success and your personal relationships?

• Money and Investments

  • How do you get your financial life under control and achieve financial independence?

• Health and Fitness

  • How do you achieve and maintain high levels of fitness, energy, and overall well-being?

• Personal Growth and Development

  • How do you identify and acquire the key knowledge and skills that you need to live an extraordinary life?

• Social and Community Activities

  • How do you structure your life so that you make a real difference in the world and leave a lasting legacy?

• Spiritual Development and Inner Peace

  • How do you organize your inner life and thinking so that you realize your full potential as a human being?

Values

I refused to delay the posting of the brand values. These will support the brand philosophy. This is a living, breathing document.

• Eye of Apollo Code

  Mission: Revolutionize culture through comics, clothes, and community.

  Vision: Unlock cultural discovery through staple American art mediums. (Comics / Marketing / Clothing)

  Values: Strike The Invisible Target —Be Concise, Collaborative, and Courageous.

• Summary

  Eye of Apollo will “improve the arts, business, and communities,” starting with the United States by embodying the following principles:

  Supreme Confidence (Faith + Humility + Knowledge of History + Understanding of Ignorance)

  Pupil Forever (Humility + Understanding of Ignorance + Active Seeking of Information and Knowledge)

  Vision Like Water (Understanding of Circumstance/Humanity+ Seeking Balance)

  Striking Like Lightning (Consistently Taking Action + Metaphor + Understanding of Human Evolution)

• Challenge

  The human truth is that respect only has one master—Power. Without it, all hopes, dreams, and wishes are empty promises doomed to wither away with winter’s wind. For millennia, humans wage war, with and without mercy, to fulfill selfish and selfless gains. The duality of our pursuits suggests we may do the wrong thing for the right reasons and vice-versa. History suggests war is inevitable. However, our ability to engage in war with the concept of hate has not yet been thoroughly tested beyond the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

• Proposal

  Creating a limited profit business wherein Eye of Apollo exhibits the core principles described in the summary, and creates a self-sustaining community by improving human relations through Art & Culture.

• Abstract

  Art and cultural exchange are tools for creating a more humane, ethical interplanetary society wherein we may reverse damage to the Earth, justice, humanity, and human connection.

Apollo

Time, the Precious

To prioritize time, I’ll trim newsletter lengths. 750 words is hella, so I’ll shave to 300 (over time).

Feedback is silver-plated gold.

I will deep-dive into favorite topics via the Eye of Apollo site and video essays on Youtube. This channel doesn't have any content, yet.

Gems only shine in light— I won’t make you dig to see if this newsletter is for you.

This newsletter and project are being designed to serve..

The Apollonian is for:

Polymaths.

Those pursuing more reasonable, cultured, harmonious, and/or disciplined lives.

“Young,” non-millionaires in pursuit of making meaning in life.

Curious minds who ask why like toddlers (or feel ashamed to ask too many questions)

2-Party “Red vs. Blue,” political skeptics.

Higher education critics.

Creatives.

Fashion-lovers seeking unique storytelling through textiles, comics, and community building.

Storytellers seeking novel narratives via the fusion of comics, philosophy, education, and other audio + visual mediums.

Rejectors of contemporary, standard, societal programming.

Take It In Blood

Pursuing dynamic goals requires countless tasks—getting lost in the sauce is almost inevitable.

Entrepreneurial steps are upon marble milestones, through the smoky haze of inexperience.

Each stumble draws blood to paint a story of pain and triumph.

Your limp becomes hopscotch.

Chalk, clear skies, and unblemished skin are myths on the road less traveled.

The Road Ahead

Turning Eye of Apollo into a successful business could take 9-15 months, or more. However, the core value in this endeavor is not money—it’s true value. My time spent is invested in the future.

Value is the lifeblood of exchange, wherein money is a proxy.

The true value of EoA is in the transparency of starting a humane business. The reckless pursuit of capital is destructive, and thus inhumane.

If the world is bound for dystopia, I must uncover if this is fate or choice.

Disclaimer: I intend to make profit, but with communicated checks and balances. We’ll explore this when money is involved to ensure positive-sum exchange.

Until I develop a system for monetary exchange, I will refer to Eye of Apollo as a project instead of a business.

Lockstep

In this project and exploration, you and I must share a baseline understanding of…

1. My perspective

   1. Whether you agree or not, recognizing my priorities and Points of View helps determine the attention we share.

   2. Here, I will define key terms we’ll explore within the Eye of Apollo universe.

2. Marketing

   1. How the ideas behind products, services, and people foster our connections to them.

   2. How one can position themselves to obtain and create true value in reasonable marketplaces.

3. Culture

   1. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

   2. The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.

   3. How humans collect and exchange ideas, goods, and services in pursuit of self-preservation and community.

The Eye of Apollo project will encompass (in this order) community building, clothing, comics, installations, books, and courses. There may be more, but these goods and services will be the foundation for all that follows. I don’t have great vision to see beyond this…

yet.

About Me

The day after sending out my first newsletter, I moved apartments.

My previous studio was ill-equipped to house my pursuits. I have more space now, but I lack the required furniture and tools to be comfortable.

I must choose between personal comforts and business progress. People have invested in me financially, emotionally, and spiritually—business comes first. The un-absolutely-necessary must wait.

Success in all humane fields is built upon the foundation of communication. Covid-19 exposed cracks in my community systems, and I found myself lonely in pursuit of happiness.

Life means nothing without kin to share experiences.

Until Next Time, Wolves.

Kindness always wins,

Apollo

The Apollonian

1st Shot on Target

You may know me by Wendell. For this newsletter, I’ll go by “Apollo,” the greek god of the arts, archery, medicine, prophecy, and a few other fields dependent upon the story rendition. Otherwise, Apollo is the name for NASA’s manned moon missions, and the historic Harlem theater known for breaking the world’s biggest entertainment acts. 

I don’t think I’m a greek god—the name is a necessary separation from the physical me to an idea to strive toward.

This newsletter will chronicle my journey of creating a brand. I’ve been working on the brand narrative, designs, and business plan for Eye of Apollo since 2019.

I’ve filled desk-side trash bins with drafted ideas in fear of failure to execute perfection.

Two weeks ago my sister revealed my scalp’s mortal reminder— a long gray hair stating, “My time on Earth is limited.”

There is no time for potential, only what can be perceived, touched, and tended. Suddenly, I developed the need to execute perfection while accepting the failures to be endured in pursuit of revolutionizing my mind.

The execution of perfection requires the acceptance of failure.

Entering The Fray

Photography, videography, and graphic design aren’t my native tongues.

The visual backgrounds of great, contemporary creative directors encouraged me to feel out of place, like I needed to mimic their rise for my brand to have a chance.

I was stuck in tutorial hell, trying to find more information to store “just in case.” This was a cowardly lack of confidence. We may only teach, and learn, through action.

Obstacles become the way. How would Harry Potter become “The Boy Who Lived” without “He Who Shall Not Be Named”?

Trailblazing paths have a series of unique trials with common themes.

My experience in language arts creates opportunities to tell a novel story and carve the Eye of Apollo brand in stone.

Language is an art form.

Hence, the purpose of this newsletter: making meaning by documenting the journey of creating a brand.

To clarify…

For the purpose of Eye of Apollo, “brand” does not mean “a vehicle for profit.”

Instead, brand means “a philosophy embodied within goods, services, and people.”

The main objective of Eye of Apollo is to create a socialistic, humane, business system that is symbiotic with the environment.

There will be some profit. Our aim is not to be rich, but instead to create a system conducive to the creation of sustainable goods and services.

I aim to prove kindness always wins for all humane processes made by mankind.

Our mission may be perceived as utopian— hopefully it is.

Whether you’re reading this in August or December, I thank you. Time is the only true currency, and I promise to do my best to add value to our time in this world.

If you’re like me, you question systems. “Must it be this way?” and, “Is it real?” are my favorites. The answer is overwhelmingly ‘no.’

Perfection is a mythical path we may only pursue if we have the courage to destroy it. You will never live a perfect life without the humility of error.

Everything I’m Not Made Me Everything I Am

I am no tailor or carpenter, but my heart is in building. By education, I am…

• an economist

• an athlete

• a marketer

• a barista

• a writer

I won’t detail the utility of each, for now.

I used to view fluid identity as contradictory obstacles to the pursuit of purpose. My multifaceted nature is a dynamic key for opening the doors to a fulfilling future. I may use my training to build. Ignorance is only temporary if one is humble enough to seek a proper path.

Writing and psychological studies are evergreen skills, especially with the infusion of A.I. into contemporary systems. As is, all human systems are built to serve humans. Some humans, at least.

We approach singularity, wherein technology revolutionizes society beyond current recognition. The future of industry will never be the same, thus wisdom suggests preparation for the inevitable:

Change.

Maybe we’re approaching universal basic income aka UBI. Maybe inequality will grow. Or maybe, just maybe. There is a door #3. History suggests the answer is clear.

I will stop here. As a “creative,” I feel pressure to “set the tone” with the first newsletter, but I accept that, hopefully, I will cringe at the formatting of past work. Then, I will know I made progress.

Either way, please reply to this email with praise and/or critique. Without it, I may not grow. I will be forever grateful for your attention.

Until next week, Wolves.

Kindness always wins,

Apollo

Woods and Meadows

To live under the shroud of seclusion is necessary when pursuing new territory. Communication without the recharge of distance and time depletes the social battery. Great thinkers like Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Dr. Martin Luther King sought alone time to make important decision without a social pull toward compromised principles. I do not claim peership with the above trailblazers, but I acknowledge the self-confidence required to benefit society.

Reality: Social media is an “easily-accessible” powerful tool, and you must use it differently to get ahead.

Left unchecked, privacy is a crutch used by the fearful. To live honestly, well, that takes a special trait–the courage to walk by faith and not the sight of history.

Reality: Unfortunately, many of us are competing with each other. We don’t need to.

Most days I prefer the silence of woods over the bittersweet limelight of a bustling city. You can bring the boy out of South Jersey, but you can’t take the South Jersey out of the boy. But silence does not equal peace, so peace may be loud, and silence deadly. This point segways into one of my biggest questions: Why are the greatest writers of our time used to sell people and products, but rarely ideas? I don’t have the chops to spill a concrete answer, yet I will search for the answer. Thus, I’ll need concerted effort seeking questions.

Reality: You could be a genius, and so could I, but it doesn’t matter until the people decide.

The judgement between genius and lunacy is determined by time and the hypothetical degree of variation from expectation. Otherwise, is there true connection to other fields in one’s hypothesis.

Reality: One must work on the work until it works.

Unfortunately for my short-term well-being, my writing must be more entertaining to hold more water/weight. I always have a chip on my shoulder so improvement is inevitable. I have resistance to the academy, as I lack desire to plead to the rich for acknowledgement of my perspective. Instead, I strive to make connections others don’t see and place them in front of the people in a relevant, engaging way.

Reality: Most people aren’t conscious consumers.

The last few years, I’ve been coming up with principles for living a good life. So far, I’ve landed on four that I elect to prioritize for the next 4 years. I’ll share them at a later date. For now, I set out to understand where I’ve been, and use all at my fingertips to elevate from wages.

Reality: If you cannot be used, you are useless.

Soft Knocks

Maybe you remember me as an athlete, maybe not. I was an exceptional youth athlete, but lost my aggression after I punched my friend (in the arm) because he made fun of me—my name in particular. I thought he overreacted, but now I understand the betrayal stung more than the blow. Sometimes I wonder what it would be today if I responded differently.

Into high school, I kept my harsher emotions in check because I knew the potential damage of losing my cool. The result was being perceived as soft. I never minded, because I always knew how tough and competitive I was.

In the end, I quit trying to be a pro because I knew I was LEAGUES smarter than I was athletic. Also, I felt responsibility to build a better world. I was plagued by the decision, which sent me into depression… and since then I’ve been building myself back with the help of friends, family, and strangers.

I’m turning being a dreamer into being a visionary.

Make no mistake—I’m still competitive, just way better at collaborating while understanding the power of a single vision.

Ghost of John Wayne

Ghost of john Wayne

Just like you, I have overcome obstacles. Pursuing personal goals is critical to a sense of purpose. Do not give up.

Grind culture has well-deserved criticism. Many recent college graduates expect to hit a homerun on the first pitch—to find a dream job overnight. The rat-race is a complex, evolving maze-like labyrinth. Proactive job hopping is the status quo for financial advancement. Nonetheless, participating in a rat-race makes you a rat, or at least rat-like. Founding company is better than finding company. I trust myself with my happiness more than any employer.

I don’t know if The American Dream is real, but I lived in a house with one sibling, loving parents, a dog, and an off-white fence. Survival is power, and now I have the opportunity to change the world. I live with a brown, unscarred face, and straight teeth. I believe I will improve American culture, and help reform the identity of my nation. I understand I am a leader, because of what I follow. This is my environment and I choose to take responsibility.

Fork in The Road

American-ness is unavoidable. W.E.B Dubois speaks of the American Negro’s dual nature. To be a Black man and American is a contradictory existence, and I would be better off re-reading his work. Similarly, I must understand more American history from multiple perspectives to visualize our country’s path to contemporary culture.

The American diet is notoriously unhealthy, evidenced by our farms, laws, and programming. You are what you eat. Be mindful of the culture you consume.

I ordered The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois. Next month I will read Frederick Douglass by David Blight.

Vigilante Justice

The universe has been telling me to shoot more bullets from my gun. I will miss more than I would prefer, but showing initiative is initiative for change. When considering strategy, my metaphors often include weapons. I wonder if this is an American response, and the truth rests in my expanded perspective.

The whisper of Black History Month is faint this February. Ambivalence from “protest fatigue” contributes to the relative silence. However, this system empowers bystanders with blissful ignorance.

Eagle Feathers

I pray I have company. I pray others’ paths are in lockstep with mine. I pray that would-be protesters and former freedom fighters matured, and they now understand only power is power. There is no end to accepting handouts. You must take what is yours.

Suffering is inevitable. We all live in prisons crafted by our own making. If you live by the sword, you’ll die by the blade. We choose our adventure. Like wealth, hell and heaven are mindsets. Your environment is your mirror.

Notes on Twitter

I signed up for a Digital Marketing course. When motivated, I am an exceptional student. Expressing mastery in digital communication is more effective than any certificate, so I paused the course in favor of Youtube and concerted effort. Also, great personal branding is evergreen—a badge of honor uncontrolled by any employer.

Live documentation of a successful journey is rare. Ego prevents the ambitious from publicly exhibiting an unproven process. However, I am going to show you my journey, step by step. Not simply because I believe in myself, but I believe in my reason for wanting success.

Some food for thought…

The median # of followers on Twitter is 61 followers. Half of all twitter users have less than 62 followers.

15% of Twitter accounts have 1000 followers or more, so if you have more than 1k, you are in the top 15%.

The average # of Followers for the active tweeter is 707 followers.

Interpretation: active tweeters run the app. The key to growing your following is to increase the amount of impressions you make. However, you must interact with accounts, and get accounts to interact with you. Positive relationships must be fostered and maintained. No interaction is doomed to negativity. Know when to hold and when to fold. Wise men do not argue with fools. Address the sin, not the sinner. Address the symptom and the disease.

Simply put— have conversations like you’re in person, and speak like you are talking to your followers.

Writing: A Gift Reborn

They always come back

Writing is an old passion I allowed to fall by the wayside. I’ve been told I have the gift of the pen, but ignorance led me to believe exercising my talent would be easy. I didn’t know who I was, and thus I didn’t know where I was going until I woke up. The next challenge was figuring out how to write more, and a blog was the most obvious choice. Afterward, there will be a newsletter.

Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.

Seeing the end through the beginning is a talent reserved for masters.

When I Grow Up…

I’ve “known” what I’ve wanted to pursue for my life’s work many times—and many times my pursuits evolved. However, most of my previous pursuits were ego-driven deviations of writing. We live in 2024; authorship is not a contemporary approach to writing. I seek immortality through my life’s work.

Immortality requires ingenuity; dedication is the cost of ingenuity. So if you want to live forever, you need to be dedicated to a subject that touches the world.

There is nothing more honorable than a grateful heart. Honorable careers run in my family, but there is limited creativity in our execution of the virtue. The best way to show appreciation is success.

Lately, I’ve been digging into my memories to understand how I got where I am. I’m not where I expected to be 10 years ago, because I lost my way.

Finding yourself can be scarier than being lost.

Role Modeling

I am confident in my looks, yet I find taking pictures highly uncomfortable. They always feel fake. I never know what to do with my hands— rather, I know what I should do with my hands, but there’s nothing to do with them. The process feels like Narcissus fawning over his reflection. If I am to be captured, I would like to be seen doing what I love.

Pictures aren’t real when they’re staged. They’re reality.

Photography is a difficult profession. As you document the world, the world documents you.

We’re always watching The Watcher.

Fashion is my newest hobby. I was always interested, but when I was young I believed appreciating fashion was feminine, and made me gay. I’m glad I’m more secure within myself to welcome the hobby, because I may have denied myself my life’s calling. I strive for my children to be less fearful.

For fun, I prefer reading physical books and magazines. Chicago winters & freezing fingers evolved my reading practice to include audiobooks & a few educational podcasts. When your eyes read a text, for at least a moment, you’re in the mind of the author. If you wish to be where they are or go where they have, reading is a way to acquire mentors.

How to Read

Cover to cover. I read books for more than the author's narrative between covers. The story of a book begins on the cover and extends to the quotes from other authors. These co-signs are Authorship “retweets.” They place books within a genre’s network of peers. You see who the author reads and holds highly.

The power of biographies is in learning the signs of success. Despite pitfalls, this person found a way to be your favorite XYZ. Books give faith.

The universe’s language is symbolic, and the challenge is recognizing clues and their implications.