Welcome to 'Directionally Correct'

Hello, there! I’ve decided to start a Substack. Well alright, that’s obvious, but let me say a bit more about why.

I love to write. It helps me process my thoughts, and express myself in a way that is more deliberate than speaking. In college I was originally going to be a journalist (as some of you know), and have spent many hours of my life focused on crafting that perfect sentence, distilling complex information in legible ways, and, honestly, being a bit of a grammar snob. (Ask my brother—high school Anneli was a nightmare on this front.)

But sometimes, in the pseudo-professional space that is LinkedIn, I find that I sterilize my writing a bit. Not that I am actively trying to show less personality, but the purpose of the writing is primarily to be informative, so that’s what comes first.

As things at Tangible have gotten busier, I have also been carving out less and less time to sit down and write, and it’s gotten to the point where I am bewildered by how little of my energy is spent on creative acts. (Before you say, “developing software is creative!!!”, of course it is, but it’s a very different type of creativity, at least for me.) And it’s a real shame, because this is one of the more interesting times in my professional life, so I actually have experiences and learnings worth sharing, I think.

So, I’m starting this little newsletter. If you are receiving this, it’s because I think you might be curious to hear my thoughts on this intersection of climate + real estate + startups + building materials + being a female founder in Silicon Valley + etc that I find myself situated in. Personally I think it’s a pretty interesting intersection (albeit a niche one), but if you don’t want to receive these emails, I understand! Just hit unsubscribe.

I will keep this pretty work-oriented, but I’m hoping to add a bit more personality and share a bit more about my personal experience and viewpoints than I might on other forums. I’m also probably going to write more long-form pieces. My plan right now is to write and publish something about every other week—sometimes more, sometimes less.

Oh, and lastly, the name: “directionally correct” is a motto we use a lot at Tangible. For example, while embodied carbon is always somewhat of an estimate because of the sheer number of factors and calculations involved, we can still be “directionally correct” in informing our decisions (between materials, design choices, and investment decisions). It’s another version of “progress over perfection,” and it describes how I’m trying to orient this journey I’m on. Zigs and zags are to be expected.

Ok, enough prefacing. I hope you enjoy following along.