This is Norm

260110: What if you could sign your creativity into being and make it sacred? 

I'm working on what I call the Promised Oath of Formless Delight—a living contract that turns art into duty, ritual, and shared tenderness. In it, I ask what shifts when we treat the act of making as a vow witnessed by someone we cherish.

I walk through belongs in this oath, that matters to ritual and reverence to articulation and consistency; an “if true” clause that changes the relationship once it’s signed, from access to private letters to conversations with personified characters—logic, warmth, comedy, passion—who can answer your questions in their own tones.

Through this, those I cherish can belong to the world of Eterna, and are offered a seat by the fire. 

The promise is long-term: tenderness in the abyss, courage over metrics, and a steady practice that measures aliveness instead of vanity stats. We close with the ritual of signing: a date, a signature, a few personal words, and a simple sigil. This is how we commit to bravery.

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

19th December, 2025. 7:46PM. How do I craft for those I cherish in the modern age?

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

19th December, 7:12PM. I take baby steps towards imperfect creation. Also, Vessel Management as a new discipline.

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

In this freeform audio recording, Norm delves into the topic of gratitude on three different levels - for the planet, for other humans, and for oneself. He shares his reflections on the importance of environmental care, the beauty in human imperfections, and individual self-awareness. Inspired by a philosophy-themed event and a gratitude journaling workshop he attended, Norm structures his thoughts through three specific prompts. He also explores the idea of 'Sonder' - recognizing the deep, complex histories of those around us - and the protection of one's imagination from overwhelming external influences.

0:00 Introduction

00:53 Experience at the Gratitude Journaling Workshop

02:28 Gratitude for the Planet and its Ecosystems

04:53 Appreciation for Human Imperfections

07:35 Self-Reflection and Personal Gratitude

12:28 Conclusion and Sign Off

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

I was prompted by a recent tweet by Joao Mateus on the concept of playfulness and its association with age, in children. The definitions of curiosity are brought up. When we are older, we start to question ourselves, why is it that we Harbor such attributes? When. Currently, it is in this context, that it's not needed. So we question ourselves. Sometimes we degrade ourselves. We look at ourselves in the mirror and we see not a man in the mirror, but a boy. With the facade of a man with a larger body, a larger vessel, one with greater experience and based on present experiences. We have judged our child selves to be irrelevant.

Links

• João Mateus's tweet
• Kahlil Corazo's tweet: The Rider and the Stallion

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

I got 1000 followers on Twitter! Yay! As a celebration, I put out an AMA on Twitter and to record the answers into one episode. And here we go!

Questions answered:

• Podcast-related: How do I prepare for an episode? What's my podcasting setup? (By @codexeditor and @AndyNarracott)
• What's the deck of cards on my table? (By @wanderuminating)
• Can you describe your audience for memory/speedreading coaching? (By @cicatriz)
• What's the difference between crazy and insane? (By @cicatriz)
• What is the sound of one hand clapping? (By @TitusHora)
• Should PKM apps have a stance about how we learn best, and ought this to be built into them? (By @plantey_, with responses from @Azeirah and @maskys_)

Enjoy!

Links

• Art Oracles: Creative & Life Inspiration from Great Artists
• Andy Narracott's Podcast: Finding Impact
• SuperLearner Coaching Page

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

Through @BecomingCritter's tweet, I explored more on how I've changed the most compared to years ago:

• 2011 (10 years ago)
• 2016 (5 years ago)
• 2018 (3 years ago)

Enjoy!

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

In what environment do you think the best? This is a quick audio snippet of what I think a good 'distraction' is.

Transcript here: https://thatsthenorm.com/positive-distractions/

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

My 12 Problems turned into questions, from Richard Feynmann.

The dozen favorite problems I constantly have in my mind

Links and Inspirations

• https://twitter.com/Roamfu/status/1298976180784095232
• https://thatsthenorm.com/beyond-the-edge/

Full transcript on my website here

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find out more about it at Eterna Garden, where I collect all my notes, conversations, podcasts, and more.