I am so excited to join Substack. LinkedIn has been my home for writing for over a year now - and it has treated me well! Having grown to 13,000 followers in just over a year is thrilling, especially since social media has never really been a focus of mine. But joining the games industry was such a life changer for me - and it was all because of the community.
I hope to find, bring, or create, a similar community here. My content on LinkedIn has always been very curated. Professional, video games, founder life, job struggles, junior talent - I have been wanting to expand for a while!
So much happens in life - and I would like to share more about what I think its important with you all. Topics I would never bring up on LinkedIn, I plan to share here instead.
Politics (U.S. and abroad)
Culture (America vs. New Zealand)
Personal Points of Interest (trips and events)
I wont talk about the main reason I am moving out of America on LinkedIn - although I’m sure its easy to guess. On Substack I feel more freedom to share my personal opinions and beliefs to a more private audience. I know so many who share my thoughts, and I hope to create a safe space to express these away from the companies peering eyes.
I also want to get to know more of my audience personally, and share more about my life with you all as well. More pictures, family stories, Cat - fun stuff!
But the main focus of this blog is to share with you the story and journey of moving from the U.S. to New Zealand. Why i made this decision, and where it came from. Logistics and recommendations if you want to do it too. Educational content about NZ so you can discover and appreciate the culture alongside me, and OF COURSE, all the LotR content I can get my hands on.
Most of my stories and content about my game company, Cave Bear Games, will stay on LinkedIn. But I am sure I will talk about owning a business in NZ, what the game industry looks like over here, and I would love to start sharing NZ games with everyone!
For now, thank you for subscribing and letting me know you are interested in what I’ve got rattling around in my head. Please let me know what sort of content you want to see here. What questions can I answer? What stories are you curious about?
With that, I leave you with a poem I often relate with - and a big reason behind why I tend to choose the lesser taken path in life. (I am an English Teacher after all)
By Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Good start! I can hardly wait to see where this journey takes you.