The Way I See It
Who Am I?
I’m Michael TenBrink, an award-winning American writer and photographer based in Italy. I’m a husband to a husband and a dad to a dog.
I’ve been writing and taking pictures for about as long as I can remember. Though my professional life has been mostly spent in marketing, I also worked as a freelance music journalist for a decade. More recently, I completed a Master in Photography program in Milan.
Why Do I Write?
The short answer is because I have to; I have mental itches that can only be scratched by pounding on the keyboard. As Flannery O’Connor is reputed to have said, “I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.”1
I aim to spend my time and energy doing work I believe in, work that is meaningful to both me and others, work that will somehow make a difference. I see using my voice as a creative as one of the most effective ways I can make such an impact.
What Do I Write About?
My writing isn’t easy to shoehorn into a category or niche. I am not a subject-matter expert in anything—except for life from my viewpoint. So that’s what I write about.
In “The Way I See It,” I share personal essays a few times a month on a variety of topics, usually accompanied by my photography.
I’ve written about my ongoing struggle with the traumas of my childhood religious fundamentalism. I’ve also written about life in Italy, and dogs, and death, and politics, and personal development, and life as a gay man, and photography, and marriage, and travel, and depression and anxiety. However, this is not a newsletter about any of those things, per se. It’s about the way I see those things, and why they’ve caught my attention, why they matter to me, and why I think they may matter to you.
I have seen myself in other people’s stories. And because I’ve chosen to share my own stories, others can now see themselves in mine. This is the beauty and wonder of writing; it is a reminder that we are not alone, that there is a magic and mystery to be found in the midst of the mess we call life.
I want to encourage my readers. I want my work to educate and challenge, move and motivate. I aim to connect more deeply with myself and the world around me, as well as to foster dialogue and create a sense of connection and community with my readers, as we all grapple with the increasing complexity of our world.
That’s why I’m here; I hope it’s why you’re here too.
Code of Ethics
I take my platform seriously. As part of that commitment, I’ve formulated a code of ethics for my writing. I suspect this is still a work in progress, but it’s a good start at laying out what you can expect from me.
Tell the truth. I will tell you what I really think and will not shy away from tactfully tackling difficult or challenging subjects. History is replete with warnings of the dangers of people trafficking in timidity, and this, as Tricia Rose Burt has so aptly put it, is no time to be timid.
Do my own work. I will not plagiarize, nor will I use ChatGPT or any other AI to generate any of my writing (or photography). It admittedly feels somewhat weird that this even needs to be said, but this is the world we live in. Love or loathe them, the words you read will be my own.
Full disclosure. I will clearly note if there is ever a situation in which I stand to benefit financially from something featured in my writing.
Give back. I will donate 10% of my net subscription income by the end of each year and will report back to you which causes or organizations we have supported.
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I hope you’ll consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
My desire and intent is that “The Way I See It” will always be free to read. However, it's not free for me to create. I invest a lot of time and energy into it—and I'd like to do so even more, which is one of the reasons I’ve opened up the opportunity for you to financially support my work. You can be part of building a more secure future for my writing and for the community we can create here for about the cost of one Starbucks drink a month. (No one's getting rich from this endeavor anytime soon!)
There are two paid subscription options to choose from: Monthly or Yearly.
As a special limited time offer for new Yearly subscribers, I am offering a FREE copy of my book Born Again! This is a $20 value—plus, I’ll even cover the cost of standard shipping.
(Please note that the Substack back-end tech appears to be unable to accommodate the logistics of this offer, so I will reach out to you directly after you subscribe to get your shipping details and then place the book order for you myself.)
Still on the fence?
If you’d like to read a few pieces before subscribing, here are some that have particularly resonated with my readers:
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ABOUT SUBSTACK
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Variations of this quote are also attributed to Joan Didion, Stephen King, and William Faulkner, among others.
