Two Obsessions, Same Big Elephant Print Energy.
Building something new, one step at a time.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve spent the better part of my life obsessed with sneakers. But there’s another thing that’s been running parallel to that obsession since I was a kid... cars.
Some of you might know this already. I’ve been co-hosting the Cars and Kicks Show with my friends Erik Valdez and Jacques Slade for a couple years now. While we’re on a bit of a break at the moment, that podcast has been one of my favorite things to work on because it lives right in the middle of two worlds I love.
My car obsession goes way back. Like, way back. Growing up in California in the early ‘90s, I was surrounded by import tuner culture at the exact moment it was exploding. While I was drawing Air Jordans with my brother, I was also sketching Integras and Civics with my favorite wheels on them. While I was also watching the NBA and skate videos non-stop, I was also rewatching Initial D and digging through forums trying to learn how to work on my own (future) cars. This is long before the mainstream boom of tuner culture caused by The Fast and the Furious (sound like the sneaker game?). The life of circling sneakers in old Eastbay catalogs was mirrored by the circling of parts I wanted for my future ride in every car magazine I could get my hands on.
The same way sneakers taught me about culture, community, and self-expression, cars have been doing the same thing on a different track. The garage builds, the late-night wrenching sessions, the random car meets where you connect with people over a shared love of something... it’s all familiar territory if you’re a sneakerhead.
So after getting laid off last year (which you might remember me writing about), I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to build next. What story I want to tell. What community I want to be part of creating.
But I also realized something important along the way. Instead of driving myself crazy trying to find the perfect next job or the perfect client, I could drive myself happy by just building my own thing. One step at a time. Enjoying the journey instead of obsessing over some finish line that keeps moving.
For me, it’s always been about progress. That’s what inspires me. That’s what keeps me motivated. Progress is perfection, you know? Whether it’s a build project, a business idea, or just figuring out what the next chapter looks like... the movement forward matters more than having it all figured out on day one.
That’s where Pursuit of Something comes in.
I’m launching a new newsletter focused entirely on car culture. Not the super technical stuff (although there will be some of that). Not the million-dollar build content that feels impossible to relate to. I’m talking about the real automotive world... the DIY garage builds, the budget projects, the check engine lights that become part of your personality, the midnight AutoZone runs, the “it ran fine yesterday” energy we all know too well.
If you’ve listened to Cars and Kicks, you know I’m all about that late 1990s and early 2000s JDM aesthetic. That’s the era that shaped me (anyone remember Hybrids.jp? I lived on that forum). I love all cars, though. The imports, the domestics, the hot rods, the lowriders, the aftermarket scene, the magazines, the underground culture before everything got polished and algorithm-driven. That’s the world I want to document and celebrate.
Pursuit of Something is going to be a lot like this newsletter... personal stories, nostalgia trips, thoughts on the current state of car culture, and hopefully some stuff that makes you think about your own relationship with cars (whether you’re deep in the hobby or just getting started).
There’s more coming beyond just the newsletter, but I’ll save that for another day. For now, I just wanted to let you know about this other thing I’m building.
If you want to check it out, head over to pursuitofsomething.co and sign up. I promise it won’t take away from this newsletter. If anything, it might give you a new lens to see how obsessions work... because at the end of the day, whether it’s sneakers or cars, it’s all about the same thing. Finding your people, chasing what you love, and enjoying the ride.
Thanks for letting me share this with you. ✌️
-Nick
P.S. Yeah, I know “Pursuit of Something” shortens to POS. There’s actually a whole story behind why I chose the name and you can read about it here. I think sometimes the best names are the ones that make you think twice.