The Employee by joshua schwebel
About this project

Introduction, First Draft

Lauren Wetmore <████████████████████████████████ > To: Josh Schwebel <privatejosh@gmail.com>

Dear Josh,

I have finally produced a draft that I can to show you!

Thank you for being so patient with how long this has taken me. I don’t think I have struggled so badly with a text before. I think it is partly because I have been ill for a while without knowing it (my brain seems to suddenly be coming back online). But, if I am honest, I think a lot of it has to do with paralysis around wanting to produce something worthy of the project. I hope this draft is a strong first step.

On Tuesday I’m traveling to visit family in Nanaimo for 3 weeks, so I’ll be a little more offline than usual. I also want to take that time to get some distance from this draft so that I can come back to it, and your notes, with fresh eyes. Ideally this will allow me to wrap it up quickly.

In terms of keeping the design process moving with H9 I will be online as I want to keep that train on the tracks when they get back from holidays.

Lauren x

Attachments:

  • file Overcome Overwhlem_DRAFT 1_14July24.docx

Josh Schwebel <privatejosh@gmail.com>

dear Lauren,
thank you so much for this incredibly thoughtful, deeply considered text.
I have gone through with local comments, as is the practice. 
The quality of the text is exceptional, and I have no massive needs for changes or arguments with the form or content.
I appreciate that you end on a note of ambivalence, since this is where we are, since we are always, inextricably, in it.
I do have a bit of concern, however, about the turning, at the end of the text, towards the latin axiom, mainly because, as I say in the comments, it makes me think of how work was used in extractive ways (arbeit macht freie). If there is a way to steer around or through this, while retaining the ambivalent conclusion (and terrific title), it might be prudent.
But overall, it is excellent, and does not need much to be finished!
I hope your jetlag isn't formidable.
warmest,
Josh

Attachments:

  • file Overcome Overwhlem_DRAFT 1_14July24.pages

Lauren Wetmore <████████████████████████████████ >

Hi Josh, 
Thank you for these notes! I will review and incorporate them in the coming week.
xLauren