What is pornography?

What is pornography?

Instagram censors female nipples but not male ones—like male nipples are some budget version, stripped of their power to offend. Nipples with no flow.

Some countries ban bare butts unless they have the "regulatory fabric" covering just the right amount. As if there were beaches too fragile to handle the cosmic force of a sun-warmed butt.

Alright, so… what is pornography?

Philosopher David Copp called it “obscene representations of sexval organs and behaviors.”

Close, but not quite. Because what the hell does “obscene” even mean?

Judge Potter Stewart nailed it in Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964):

“I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”

Now that’s smart.

Think about it—some concepts work exactly like that. You can’t explain them, but you feel them.

And here’s one you’ll recognize:

PROGRESS.

What does it really mean to progress?

Try defining it. You can’t. But you know when it happens. It’s wreckage turned useful. It’s mistakes, bent into something sharp.

One last quote, I promise. But this one’s gonna sting:

"Failing to achieve what it longs for, ‘progress’ baptizes as longing what it achieves." — Nicolás Gómez Dávila.

How’s that for a gut punch?

For Dávila, progress is just a bedtime story that modernity tells itself to justify its own existence. He’s not denying change, just its blind optimism.

Now swap modernity for artist:

"Progress is a story that artists tells themselves to justify their existence."

Hello, nice to meet you.

Anyone else feel called out?

Takeaways:

  • p0rn0graphy doesn’t exist. Your perception of obscenity does.
  • Progress doesn’t exist. Your need to believe in it does.
  • Watching progress fuels you. (Or, if you’re into science, swap fuel for dopamine.)

Now, here’s the catch—because of course, there’s always a damn catch:

We’ve been trained to think progress = success. And that kills creativity.

We were taught that failure is the opposite of progress.

Why? No clue.

Got a serious study on this? Nah.

The result?

Terrified artists.

Too scared to move.

Too scared to screw up.

It’s an epidemic.

Logically, you know that success breeds stagnation, and corrected mistakes are pure progress.

But when you’re in the thick of it, logic is useless.

You curse Bacon, Sorolla, and every damn saint because you identify with what you just made.

You think:

"That garbage I just made… That’s ME.”

Shakespeare would love the tragedy.

You struggle to see yourself as an artist who adapts on the fly.

You’re totally capable of making crap, but turning crap into something great? That feels impossible.

Alright now, don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t your fault.

Blame school.

Blame teachers.

Blame society.

Blame whatever genius decided to convince us that the only way to move forward is by never messing up.

Welcome to the trap.

School unknowingly uses an old Chinese military strategy:

"Invite the enemy to climb the rooftop… then take away the ladder."

Most artists are stuck up there.

Trained to spot their mistakes.

Trained to punish themselves for them.

And no one ever gave them a way down—a way to see mistakes as nothing more than signals for the next step.

Back to business…

Our program is that ladder.

Confidence.

A radical shift where, finally, you see that you are not the garbage you just made.

And that garbage? Oh, surprise—it’s your ally.

The program is also a kick in the groin to that teacher who left you stranded on the rooftop.

After this, you might even start celebrating mistakes with champagne.

Alright, maybe not.

No miracles promised.

But you’ll love creating again.

October 2025, we’re back at it.

New experiments, new ideas, same electric charge.

No drama.

Tears? Maybe.

We’re not a school.

We’re an island.

APPLY FOR ADMISSION

P.S. 1 — There are no “nudist“ beaches in Menorca because most every beach has room for you if you want it to be. Thought you’d like to know.

P.S. 2 — And no, in the program, we don’t hit you with monologues like this. We wire it straight into your nervous system. If you get what I mean, the link’s up there, buzzing. ⚡️

icon

Something we said lit a spark?

Good. Follow it.

Each week, one sharp idea to cut through the noise.

You’ll get instant access to all our books.

Including the one that’s helped hundreds “Overcoming Impostor Syndrome.”

Don’t be shy—getting a little weekly inspiration doesn’t tie you down.

Hate it? Unsubscribe.

Love it? Could change everything.