Introducing Spudster

I’m back (from) baby and I’m a potato

About 6 months ago, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. It’s been an incredibly fun (and challenging) ride and I’m grateful for how well Mom and baby are doing.

For better or worse, the days fly by. 6am turns into 6pm in a blink of the eye. One benefit of this chaos is that it forces you to be disciplined with how you spend your time. Nothing will get you to trim the fat quite like having a baby at home.

While I’ve been primarily focused on being a parent the past few months, I also allowed myself to ponder a simple question about writing on Substack:

Is this really how I want to spend my time?

I imagine that many writers, and content creators of all stripes for that matter, have wrestled with this question.

Is going deeper into the internet abyss a recipe for disaster? Do I really want to spend my time dealing with internet trolls? Even worse, am I becoming a troll?

Am I contributing to polarization and vitriol? Or am I providing a much-needed perspective?

Does my writing adequately represent what and how I think?

Jesus, my screen time is too high. Maybe I should focus on getting outside more.

Even with these doubts (and more), I’m back baby. Why? Because I can’t stay away.

I consistently feel compelled to re-enter the fray.

Perhaps even more importantly, I have a lot of fun learning and writing. I get to do this. I don’t have to do this.

However, upon reflection, a brand change is in order.

This Substack began as Energy Matters, but will now be…

SPUDSTER

Why Spudster?

1. Spudster better represents who I am. I believe what I write about matters, but I don’t take myself too seriously. I’m trying to change the world for the better, but I’m also self aware that I’m a potato.

2. There’s enough hate online. Hard to get very mad at a spud with a cape. I’ll never shy away from a genuine debate but there’s a difference between an intelligent discussion and reactionary name calling. A smiling super potato makes my intentions a bit clearer.

3. It was getting annoying communicating as “Energy Matters.” Much easier to have back and forth dialogue as “Spudster.”

4. My focus remains on energy. It’s safe to say that “energy matters” is still the general theme here. However, I will occasionally branch out when I think my potato headed perspective is needed elsewhere.

5. Whenever I hear or see something crazy, Spudster’s face pretty much perfectly captures my emotions. It’s also how I feel after I post something when I’m waiting for reactions.

Thanks for sticking with me so far. Let’s learn, debate, and have some fun together.

P.S. Special shoutout to

Isaac Orr

for reaching out to me to make sure that I wasn’t dead. Give

Energy Bad Boys

a subscribe if you haven’t already!