Our Attention is Precious
Thank you for reading my newsletter. My new show "Attention is Devotion" opens March 12th at Gallery Wild in Jackson, Wy
First I’d like to thank you for opening this newsletter and giving me your precious attention. I’ve been thinking about my own or lack thereof, for a while now, how I get easily distracted, how 30 minutes will get sucked away watching Reels if you’re not careful, how I refresh the news when I’m bored, how the day ends too quickly. I’ve tried it all - the app filters, rules about how and when I can be on social media, attempts to direct my focus, journaling, meditation, focus wheels, prizes for good behavior - and they all work to some degree, but only until the next news cycle blows up and I can’t help myself.
Perhaps I’d be best off if I chuck all my devices in the ocean and get a landline with an answering machine. Believe me, I’ve thought about it.
I’m sure you’ve all heard the term “Attention Economy,” how the tech companies are battling it out to get our attention, how the Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that their biggest competitor was sleep. Not another tech company, SLEEP. So not only do they want our attention, they want to steal our sleep too.
I’m no guru and I certainly don’t have the answers. This isn’t about answers, because I’m only interested in the questions, like:
“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I think about this question regularly. Perhaps you’ve read Mary Oliver’s The Summer Day poem so often that it no longer hits like a red hot poker prodding you to instantly get off the damn computer. That one works for me quite well.
What about this from Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet, a book that had a huge impact on me in high school:
This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer.
Must I? 100% yes. If I’m not making something, I’m probably thinking about creating it.
What about this question based on yet another Mary Oliver work, if “attention is the beginning of devotion,” then,
What are you devoted to?
What am I devoted to? Creating. Anything really, but also living a full life, spending time outdoors, and being with the people I love.
“The authentic and pure values — truth, beauty and goodness — in the activity of a human being are the result of one and the same act, a certain application of the full attention to the object.” ~ Simone Weil.
The whole point, for me at least, is simply to create. Not to create something huge, or important, life-changing, universe-shifting, or even a legacy. It’s very simple. I just like making things. And I’d really prefer to not waste time on things that aren’t in service to my values and devotions.
I’ve seen this quote go around in artist circles online something like “If you're feeling depressed, you're probably consuming too much and creating too little.” This resonates with me, and I can feel that hollowing out in my soul when I’m too much online.
I just wish I knew who to attribute it to. I asked Claude who said it, and the AI MADE UP the name Karl Oster to appease my search request when I asked who said it and to give me a link to include. Just goes to show to always ask for verifiable links and references. Claude could never figure out who said it first, so my apologies if this is yours.
The best success I’ve had at directing my attention is to imagine my older self, the one who no longer needs social media, the one who is so busy with her activities and projects that she has great focus on whatever she wants to accomplish. I was imagining my “retired self,” the one who isn’t worried anymore about making money, marketing, or staying relevant. I was imagining this very cool, stress-free, carefree future self who could spend her days however she wanted. And the more I thought of Her, the more I didn’t want Her to waste her time on things She wasn’t devoted to.
This was a big realization for me and then I figured - I should be acting like that right now. Heck with waiting until I’m old to start doing that. I should be revering my time and attention and treating them like the precious resources that they are.
The whole idea about your future self was made popular by behavioral economist Hal Herschfield, whose work centered around present decisions inspired by imaging a future self, one even that was happier. So, if I can hold my very cool, future self in my mind, I’m a lot more motivated, less likely to procrastinate, and likely to get off my duff and make things.
If I were a savvy marketer or graphic designer, I would come up with a whole campaign to “Take Back Your Attention” with posters and slogans of people lounging in the grass, sitting on benches, reading books, doing the crossword, playing games together, cooking dinner, crafting, writing, playing the guitar… you know, all those things we wish we had more time for.
“Your Time is Precious. Don’t Waste It On Instagram.”
“Scrolling Kills Your Span of Attention and Libido.”
I know there actually is time for things that matter, and I’m not exactly proud of my screen time, although our tech overlords have certainly had a hand in making it so damn addictive. But I keep asking myself, would She keep doing this? Is this how She would spend her time?
My new show “Attention is Devotion” opens Thursday, March 12th at Gallery Wild in Jackson. To get images, sizes, and photos when the work is officially available, please send an email to info@gallerywild.com and ask to be put on the list.
What I’m Into This Week
The Science & History of Attention
This guest opinion article on the NYTimes said a lot more on the topic of attention than I ever could. A fascinating read on the history of attention science, and how it is being used against us. This is a compelling manifesto for taking back our attention from those who seek to profit off it.
Pay Attention To How You Pay Attention
This December 2025 article by Ezra Klein on how they are profiting of our attention is another deep dive into the state of the attention economy. They say, if you’re not paying for it, then you are the product.
Resist and Unsubscribe
Scott Galloway from Pivot Podcast makes a good case for how sticking it to the Man can be done by simply unsubscribing. The premise is simple - we have more say than we think, and it largely depends on how we spend out money. That is, don’t spend on/with companies that do stuff you don’t like, and if a lot of us do it at once, they’ll take notice.
Make The Salt Lake Great Again
Donald Trump has come out in favor of protecting the Great Salt Lake. Color me shocked, but I guess I’ll take it, because the GSL needs all the help it can get. With this winter’s dismal snowpack it’s going to be a doozy of a summer and probably a new low for the GSL. I made some merch back in 2022 to help raise funds for the Friends of the Great Salt Lake. All proceeds from my Make the Salt Lake Great Again merch go to the organization.