Helpful Notes From Nick

I started this column so that you’d tell me all of your secrets. Over the years, I’ve found that people open up to me quite easily. Even though that sounds like a villain’s origin story, I’ve always used my powers for good. I empathize well, which is a veritable super ...more +

8 years ago

I am excited to once again address your personal, professional, and professionally personal concerns. This edition features sensory invasions and bureaucratic drama. I know that already seems overwhelming, but fear not! The insight, humor, and empathy you seek are just a few scrolls away (I’ve adapted my advice for mobile ...more +

8 years ago

Advice columns go way back, apparently. This 2015 piece from The Atlantic includes some questions submitted to a 1690s British periodical called The Athenian Mercury. Based on the examples below, the inquiries of literate intellectuals at the time ranged from casual planetary colorism to questions that could have been written ...more +

8 years ago

It’s important that we take care of ourselves and each other. Even though that’s implied by the mission statement I established in the first volume of this column, I wanted to restate it because those words are helpful among the slew of grim headlines. Our feelings as human beings are valid, ...more +

8 years ago

It’s easy to think of empathy as an absolute–something that’s either present or absent in people. I prefer to think of it as a skill each person can choose to consciously develop as they gain new social connections and life experiences. Developing empathy can feel like establishing a solid workout ...more +

8 years ago

Modern life feels increasingly like a dream–and not necessarily the kind that’s fun to dissect with friends. Twitter and cable news networks are shouting things at us while we engage in every possible form of self-care to cautiously ignore the noise. We are a generation maturing as technology matures alongside ...more +

7 years ago

I’m a writer, illustrator, and kindness snob obsessed with the stories that connect us. In this column, I provide insights to people navigating the intersections of their personal and professional lives. This column usually features a collection of questions. For this installment, I chose to focus on a single question that ...more +

7 years ago