About Me Is All About That Ř.
Aren't we all curious why anyone should read what's on our minds?
Meeting new people and being Czech (with Ř in my name) is a lot of fun.
“Nice to meet you, Tomáš Říha is my name — I am curious…dare to pronounce it?”
You, too, dear reader! Don't be shy; here's a little help: [ˈr̝iːɦa]
Succeeded? 🥁🥁🥁
I tend to look at life from the perspective of an overly optimistic toddler and therefore I applaud you for nailing that bloody consonant! 👏
All authors sometimes don't believe in themselves. That is surely obvious to many. I hid my insecurity behind my Ř and used it as an icebreaker. Did the ice break? And would my heart break if the ice did not? 🥶
It would not. Reading forms readers, but writing forms the author as well.
It is a relationship of sorts. Sometimes the ice doesn't break and nothing is formed. Sometimes the mutual impact is brief and quiet. Some relationships could last a long time, though.
Both are worth investing in. 😌
For those who might want to form an author-reader relationship with me… there are some snippets of why I think it could be worth our collective time.
5 things that somehow define me
1. Curiosity doesn’t kill cats anymore
First things first — everything I do stems from curiosity. I love being curious, but I also try to spark enthusiasm in those who are not. Be it colleagues or clients, family or friends.
“Let us all be kids again,” I yell! Kids tirelessly work to understand what happens around them. Kids open boxes only to be astonished by their contents. There’s so much inside. Even for adults!
I’ve worked a lot as a Product owner. I’ve spent time developing (or “owning”) apps, meeting and talking to people to whom we tried our best to help live easier lives at their work. I believe being curious is helpful when trying to really understand what people need.
True — curiosity gets punished from time to time. (If only the cats of yore could tell.) People do occasionally mock others for asking too many questions. Those are not worth spending our curiosity on. It's always possible to move someplace else. Be curious about other people.
Be curious about 🫵, too.
When reading with me I would appreciate you to think about stuff and open boxes others fail to notice. There might be cats there that were thought to be dead but are very much alive.
2. The music therapy
Design, music, literature… think of those as a family of sorts. Cousins that share a lot and understand each other. What I try to hint so awkwardly is that I write a lot of lyrics & music. Some of it has been granted more of my time and has made it online.
I find writing original music, singing, and playing the instruments to be a wonderful self-therapy. Helping clients with their songs, arranging, recording, mixing & mastering them was a great opportunity to learn so much!
For those in the mood for a mood-killer, I dare to attach my cover of an English prog-rock band Blackfield, and their song Oxygen.
I humbly tried my best to play most of the instruments, sing, mix, produce, edit, and package the whole audio/video experience. The Czech lyrics are my interpretation of the original and come right from my heart.
Hope you'll like it.
3. Teacher on board alert
I have somewhat successfully graduated from a pedagogical university to join the ranks of teachers. It's in my blood and I try to educate (myself AND others) when it is appropriate.
I sincerely believe education is key to everything. Cliché? Quite possibly, but no one will change my mind about that.
Luckily fewer and fewer people try to. That is a hopeful sign that it is true.
4. The power of design
Forget for a moment that design is usually thought to be graphics-related. 🧑🎨
That design is dope and the field is crazy fun, but design is so much more than that! People, companies, and dogs alike have all sorts of needs (duh) and there are a bunch of designs to deal with all of them. That is super cool that we humans can do that! (And dogs to a certain extent, too)
Graphical design and UI/UX are gorgeous fields. I dig all of that. And I sincerely hope that you will, too (digging aside) find interesting design elements in my stories.
To finish the circle — I am proud to have been able to cooperate on the composition and design (this time purely graphical, oops) of an indie & retro game magazine called Freeport. Full of blasts from the present and the past if you ask me.
5. Tech is the future, the future is now
A lot of my writing will probably be tech and Apple-related. I’ve spent too much of my life developing virtual worlds and experiences that rely on tech. Apple is currently one of the best companies in the world to craft those worlds and therefore they are so in the forefront of everything that one must be curious about what's behind the curtain and how it connects to, well, everything.
I feel tech is part of everything now. So it will be broadcast throughout my writing journey as well. 📡
Our hypothetical journey together
An author or a storyteller is no one without the readers. I am sincerely looking forward to sharing the stories with you, hopefully letting my curiosity infest a little of the vast world. No need for a curiosity pandemic YET; every single soul counts towards a bright, educated, and fruitful future.
See you there! 👋
Oh and before you go. I am INFINITELY CURIOUS about your Ř. Trying a few tongue twisters in Czech with a focus on that darn letter is a great way to start Monday with a smile. Plus you can evaluate if you deserved my aforementioned applause.
I'll be waiting with a grin in the comments section, or at tomas@toripro.cz.
Goodbye, and good luck!
