Introducing the Prototyping Mindset Community

Cultivate your prototyping mindset with weekly prototype share outs and discussion threads

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Hi friend,

I hope you've been enjoying the weekly Absent-Minded Professor newsletter as much as I enjoy writing and engaging with all of you! Your feedback and insights have enriched the discussions, and I'm excited to announce some new ideas I’m prototyping to enhance the community experience even further.

Announcing the Prototyping Mindset Community

To foster deeper connections and more engaging discussions within the Prototyping Mindset community, I'm launching a Discord server for paid subscribers. The Discord will provide a way to foster and continue the conversations that I have with many of you privately and give you a chance to ask questions or share feedback in an informal setting. I’m also hoping that this will provide a forum to share ideas and support each other in cultivating a prototyping mindset.

At launch, here’s what you can expect:

⚒️ Weekly Prototype ShareOuts

Share your latest projects or intriguing conversations, and inspire fellow community members with your creative pursuits! One of the most essential parts of the prototyping mindset is a bias toward action. This weekly reminder and the community around it will help to give us the encouragement and inspiration we need to keep moving forward.

📚 ➕🖋️ Responsive Reading & Listening Discussion Threads

Share and discuss thought-provoking articles, essays, or books you’ve been reading, and podcasts you’ve been listening to. I’ll regularly share some of the things I run across and invite you to do the same.

🗣️ Substack Post Discussion Threads

After each week’s Substack post, I’ll create a new thread in the channel for us to continue the conversation together in a more informal and private setting.

💰 Why for paid subscribers only?

As always, I’m committed to operating this newsletter on a patronage model where all the posts remain publicly available. The main motivation for these new features for paid subscribers is to create on-ramps for more in-depth conversation and direct connection between you and me.

Unfortunately, this type of direct engagement doesn’t scale as well as the weekly posts and so I am offering access only to paid subscribers. This will also help to ensure a minimal need for moderation and that the conversation is positive and high-quality.

But I also understand that not everyone can afford an additional subscription. If you’d like to join the community but subscribing would be a financial burden, just email me. You don’t have to tell me your story or make a case. Just ask.

And if you do have the means to fund an additional subscription — or to gift one to someone in your life — you can do that, too. To donate a subscription, click here. To give it to someone in your life, click here.

🚀 Prototype It with a 30-Day Trial

If you're currently a free subscriber and want to try out these features, I’ve set up an option for a 30-day free trial. I hope you’ll join and dive deeper into the Absent-Minded Professor community to discover new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration. Just click the button below to get started.

💡 Special Discounted Offer for Students

I’m also aware that many of you who read the newsletter are students and a $50/year subscription might not be feasible for you at this point in your life. To make the community more accessible for students, I've set up a special discounted subscription rate for those who are currently enrolled in a degree program or studying full-time ($12/year). Again, if you don’t have any discretionary income, please don’t let that stop you from emailing me directly.

🛠️ Let's Prototype Together

Thanks as always for being here. Together, let's continue to foster our prototyping mindsets and encourage one another.

Warm regards,
Josh