Why Write?

Starting a new project is often exciting, but it is easy to become discouraged quickly. After all, it probably won’t work out: 90% of startups fail. But a few go on to change the world. And if you talk to those who tried to create something but ultimately fell short, you will find that almost all of them are glad that they tried. The journey is tough but rewarding. There is beauty and meaning in the effort.

My endeavor, a personal project rather than a company, is to start a blog. The reasons not to do so are innumerable. We live in an age of too much information. Just take a look at the number of tabs you have open on your browser, your unread email newsletters, or how much memory podcasts are taking up on your phone. Does the internet really need more voices? What do I have to say that is so interesting that it will find an audience in the ocean of content? In addition, I started a blog in college that fizzled out, before being taken over as an ad site, and then ultimately disappearing. Will this time be different?

Yes, it will. It will be different because I have different motivations. When I started a menswear / street style blog with my friend Minh in college, the aim was to build an audience and put out attractive content, both in the form of imagery and copy. But now, I simply desire to refine my own thoughts. For better or for worse, I think about clothing a lot. I often think about ethics, culture and business—and often in relation to clothing. Writing pushes me to process and convey my thoughts on these topics in a critical and clear way that could not be achieved if I left them in my own mind. Moreover, sharing my writing increases the pressure on me to produce ideas of decent quality.

I want to write about clothing (and maybe other things) from the lenses through which I see the world: ethics, culture and business. My background isn’t really unique. I grew up in an immigrant household in cushy Virginia suburbs of DC. I grew up passionate about politics and Model UN. I went to a fancy Ivy League college, where I became interested in religion. After graduating I got a job in private equity at one of the world’s preeminent asset managers. Today, I am a venture capitalist. Yet I am certainty different than most of the menswear and culture writers out there today, and therefore my blog will be different too.

In sum, my endeavor is to develop and share (sometimes intersectional) views primarily on dress. The writing will reflect my worldview and interests. It may not appeal to many, but that is not really the point. If readers come, I hope they find it enriching. If they don’t, I will still benefit myself in this endeavor. 

Welcome to Old Man Everything.