Counterflows #45: Knowledge Hubs, Citizenship for Sale, Thinking for Yourself
Your offbeat guide to the future of work, creativity, and global living.
Hello 👋
Four months ago, I almost took a full-time job. Freelancers do this to themselves every so often. My friend calls it “the freelance wobble”.
For me, it happens when the opportunities get too big and the possibilities become overwhelming. I convince myself the grass is greener—that it would be easier to follow a boss’s orders and pursue a collective mission than keep carving out this path on my own.
The job seemed like a great opportunity for a company I'd long admired, and I would have been excellent at it. In the end, though, I declined because of the wording of the contract.
I read contracts as a list of past mistakes, and it was clear the company’s history was troubled. The agreement asked, restricted and threatened more than any other I’ve ever seen—with Google, global banks, even governments.
My activities outside work would be restricted and the disclosure of information would result in financial penalties. Their approach told me they don't trust their people and they see contract power as the best solution. Those are big turn offs in a relationship.
Plus, after 10 years of working for myself, the idea that somebody else could tell me how to get the best work out of myself seemed utterly ridiculous. My partner quickly pointed out that I shouldn’t find a conventional job offer so offensive. After all, most businesses still operate like this.
I realised I've been working remotely, flexibly and globally for such a long time, my sense of 'normal' is completely gone. I’m just a human, on a rock, travelling through space, and sometimes I collaborate with other people because it's fun.
I'm going to keep this in mind next time I have a “freelance wobble”. While applications and interviews can serve as a reminder of what we do and don’t want, these forking paths are often a distraction we’d be better off without.
Thanks for reading.
-Lauren
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🎧🏘️ Zoom Towns: New Cities at Work (The Citymaker)
This podcast episode—featuring comments from yours truly—explores how US cities and regions have begun offering talent incentives of $10k for people to relocate, and whether that trend is likely to go international. Will we all be nomads soon? What would tempt you into making a move?
🇳🇬🏛️ The Wealthy Nigerians Buying Citizenship Overseas (Al Jazeera)
This story showcases how the worldwide “citizenship by investment” system works. Essentially, as long as you have enough money, you can buy your way into becoming a citizen of just about any country in just a few years via “golden visa” schemes. That's what rich Nigerians are getting up to.
🤖✈️ Will New Travel Technology Invade Your Privacy? (National Geographic)
With the prospect of travel reopening soon, what kind of surveillance tactics has the pandemic normalised? This story breaks down the tools of combat we can expect to see going forward and outlines the risks to our personal data, as well as exploring how all this will change the passenger experience.
✌️🎟️ 5 Tips For Designing Engaging, Inclusive Sessions (Mozilla Foundation)
What makes a good virtual event, meeting or session? The skill of facilitation is practically an art form in the world of remote work. This post from the creators of Firefox—whose team also organises the brilliant online festival MozFest each year—offers five tips on designing effective sessions.
💡🤔 How to Think for Yourself (Paul Graham)
If you want to become a better writer, you need to become a better thinker. So how do you tackle that challenge? This insightful essay from a legendary Silicon Valley tech investor explores the answer to that question, and offers guidance on how to sharpen your thinking skills.
📚💼 You're the Business: Build a Successful Career When You Strike Out Alone (Anna Codrea-Rado)
Anna is the person who first told me to start writing this newsletter, so I’m delighted to send this edition out on the same day her first book launches! Her guide for freelancers, side-hustlers, and creative entrepreneurs tells you everything you need to know when you go self-employed.
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📚 Support the creation of my first book, Global Natives: The New Frontiers of Work, Travel & Innovation, by pre-ordering the digital edition today.
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