blogging or bragging? on ego and doubts

You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.
— Andy Warhol

If you know me through my Notion work, you’re probably familiar with my weekly newsletter 3-2-1: Notion!. While around 200 people have subscribed to Make With James, the Notion newsletter goes out to more than 14,000 readers every week.

But despite being 70 times smaller, Make With James feels way more stressful to write—and especially to send.

3-2-1: Notion! is just me sharing updates and tips about a tool I genuinely love. But here, on Make With James, I’m sharing parts of myself—how I see the world, what I think, what I doubt, what I’ve lived. Concrete parts of my identity are shipped every Friday.

Which often makes me uncomfortable:

1. My biggest fear with this newsletter is coming across as arrogant. And honestly, I get it. Who am I to tell anyone how to live or what to think?

2. My second fear is sounding close-minded. Yes, I have strong opinions. But just because I say something in an essay doesn’t mean (1) I’m 100% confident in what I’m saying, and (2) I’m not open to changing my mind.

3. And my third fear is being seen as a fake contrarian. Time and experiences helped me realize I’m not as different from others as I used to believe when I was younger. But I still often find myself going against the consensus—not to be provocative, just because it’s how I genuinely feel.

So what does all this say about me? Mostly that I care a lot about how I’m perceived. It’s something I try to let go of in everyday life, but it hits harder when I write this newsletter. Knowing that some of my closest friends and family read it makes it even more intense.

That said, I’m the one who chose to swap journaling for this weekly practice—so I’m not complaining. Even if it feels awkward sometimes, I’m genuinely glad I made that decision. And I know it sounds cliché, but if these essays can help, inspire, spark a conversation, or simply move just one person in some way, then it’s all worth it.

It’s been almost eight months since I started writing these weekly essays—and even though it’s the smallest of all my digital artefacts, it’s the one I’m most proud of.

— James

Tools & Websites

• One Minute Park is the kind of internet we need more of. It’s a collection of random, one-minute videos of parks from around the world—quiet, simple, and calming. You can even browse through 190+ of them. I don’t know why, but it feels strangely heartwarming

• Prod is a simple browser extension that helps create a calmer online experience—with options like grayscale mode, hiding recommendations, blocking websites, and a built-in timer.

• The Lué Studio is a design and development studio founded by designer Oğuz Yağız Kara and engineer Necati Koçlu. Their collab has resulted in this beautiful website ↓

MAKER OF THE WEEK

A-MO is a French artist who mixes street art with images of animals. He uses a technique called "Paintag," where he paints with tiny stenciled dots of spray paint, giving his work a pointillist look. His art often shows the contrast between nature and city life, adding a touch of the wild to urban spaces. His murals have appeared in many places, including my small hometown of Sauternes (just 800 people), where he painted a giant bee called l’Abhela d’A-MO.

James’ Library

…Aesthetic Corner…

Newave

Newave is a brilliant new French company making modular surfboards that solve a major problem for surfers: travel. No more oversized airline baggage fees or train fines—just compact, (supposedly) high-quality boards. Created by two engineer-surfer hybrids, it launched on Kickstarter (hop over there for a discount).

Japanase Gradients

Nuevo.Tokyo is a Japan-based design studio that creates brands, tools, and interfaces for forward-thinking companies. They also make these delightful Japanese gradients.

Sustainable Living

At Globe For You, sustainability drives innovation. This small French company crafts components from flax fiber - a local material requiring minimal resources to produce. Using custom machines, they've developed an eco-friendly manufacturing process that delivers lightweight, strong components with excellent insulation properties. Their mission: transform mobility while protecting the planet.

Their flagship product Maïna showcases this approach. This 5kg flax fiber bike trailer is ultra-light, folds without tools, and works with any bike. Its clever folding system allows for compact storage, while the natural flax material ensures durability and environmental benefits through sustainable farming practices.

Friends of James

• Beehiiv — the powerhouse behind all my newsletters, helping me craft, design, grow my audience, and monetize effortlessly.

• Notion — my go-to tool for the last 6+ years, where I store all my notes, manage tasks, and essentially run both my life and businesses.

• Webflow — the engine behind all my websites, letting me design, build, and launch seamlessly without code.

• Make — the tool that runs my business on autopilot, handling all recurring and time-consuming tasks

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