Following the Thread
Obsessions aren’t distractions, they’re direction
Lately, I’ve been obsessed.
With Lorne Michaels.
Not because I want to create another SNL. I don’t. But I’ve been watching everything I can: the documentaries, old interviews, the SNL 50th anniversary special, and the movie Saturday Night. I keep noticing so much.
Lorne created something no one else could. Not because he discovered talent, but because he understood how to pair people. The chemistry between sketch and cast. The timing of a live moment with the polish of television. The space he built made others shine.
He didn’t just produce a show. He curated brilliance.
And that’s what I can’t stop thinking about. How do you build something that brings out the best in people, combines art forms, and mixes live performance with television in an electric way?
I don’t know where this obsession is going. I know I have to follow it.
Lorne is just the latest. I’ve learned by now that these sparks rarely show up in isolation.
But this isn’t my first creative obsession.
Back in 2021, I wrote a fan letter to someone I’d never met: Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. His words were grounding during a chaotic time (hello pandemic), and I couldn’t believe how much it felt like he was speaking directly to me.
“I feel like you’re a friend, and now that I’ve opened with that super creepy line, I hope you’ll keep reading.” That was the first sentence I sent Jason back in 2021. And to my surprise, he wrote back the same day.
In late 2023, I joined a small experimental group Jason started. I met collaborators, creative peers, and people whose ideas became part of the bigger picture I’m piecing together.
These connections aren’t quick shoutouts or matter-of-fact mentions. They’re part of the forward-moving obsession. They helped confirm I wasn’t chasing the wrong thing. I was still finding the form. I’ll share more about each of them in future posts, but for now, know that Jason was the first breadcrumb on a trail I’m still following.
And now here I am again, caught up in something new.
I haven’t even read Jenny Wood’s Wild Courage yet, but I’m already obsessed after hearing her on Jason’s recent podcast. Then yesterday, one of my favorite newsletters, Alex & Books (and yes, you should subscribe), dropped a summary of her book into my inbox.
Jenny, if you’re reading this: I’ll be buying the hardcover. That NYT list deserves your name on it.
That’s how obsession works. It rarely starts with a plan. Sometimes it’s just a podcast, a book summary, or the feeling that someone out there gets it. And then suddenly you’re building something because of that spark.
You’re connecting dots you didn’t know were in the same universe.
So if you’ve been feeling a little “all over the place” lately, same! But what I’ve learned is that obsession is my map.
It shows me where my energy lives. It reveals what I’m meant to build next.
Lorne didn’t plan it all in advance. He just followed what felt undeniable.
This week’s tip:
- Don’t ignore what you’re drawn to just because it doesn’t make sense yet
- Write it down
- Follow one thread
- See what happens