Allow Me To Introduce Myself

In 2010, I was a 25 year-old recent college graduate strapped with over $50,000 in student loan debt. The economy was in the dumps and my degree in English from a major university didn’t feel like it was worth much more than the paper it was printed on. I was confused, broke, underemployed, living at home with my parents and dreaming of ways to escape what the future seemed to have in store for me—a teaching career.

One day I came across a book tucked into one of the many bookshelves of our little house in Roosevelt, NJ. It was a modest paperback with a painting of a bearded green-eyed man in a funny hat staring straight into his prospective readers eyes. The painting was by Rafael and the man on the cover was Baldassare Castiglione, the author of the Book of the Courtier (1564), one of the most important books written during the Italian Renaissance.

In retrospect, it was some old school Italian Renaissance shit that most 25 years would’ve put right back in the place they picked it up. It wasn’t even really a book, well, not a novel at least. It was a long conversation—princes and rich folks with titles bantering around a table—nothing really like my life. But as I delved further into the book I realized the magnitude of the question that was being discussed—What qualities make the ideal Renaissance man? What makes a complete person?

And then this—"A man can do all things if he will.” Yes! This was the truth-nugget that sank into my soul the first day I picked up the Book of the Courtier.

Sure, I was working in a call center for $9 an hour and making payments on a $50,000 loan. In other words, I was financially fucked. But the hell with Sallie Mae and her pesky numbers, I thought. I was an English major for a reason, and not just to suffer. “A man can do all things if he will,” and I had the will to travel, explore, learn new skills, study art, fall in love, write books… I wanted to push the limits of my potential and the Book of the Courtier re-inspired me. But perhaps more importantly, it provided me with a framework to create my own adventure.

According to Castiglione, a Renaissance Man should have skills and knowledge in the following areas:

• Poetry
• Art
• Music
• Philosophy
• Dance

I decided to turn my life into an experiment. I would travel to six different countries around the world and for one month intensely study one of the arts/skills discussed in the Book of the Courtier. I would take notes and journal, and then I’d write a book.

Of course, I was young, naïve, ambitious, and probably biting off a lot more than I could chew. But I was determined to satisfy my three strongest desires at once; to travel, learn new shit, and to write.

I anticipated the project would take 6 to 7 months to complete. It’s been more like 6 to 7 years, and in truth, I still ain’t done.

Yo whatup whatup?! My name is Nate Lost and that was a snippet from my forthcoming book the Renaissance Man Project.

I’m a writer, lyricist, pedicab driver, test grader, occasional English teacher, podcaster, ghostwriter and travel-junky.

I’m originally from Central New Jersey, but I currently live in Mexico City with my girlfriend who I met trying to learn how to dance salsa in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I still can’t salsa for shit, but she’s amazing and I’m confident one day I’ll learn with her help and patience.

Currently, I’m working in the French Quarter on a giant tricycle in my favorite city in the world, New Orleans. Yes, I ride a pedicab at least three months out of the year.

In fact, it was just last week in the Crescent City that my good friend and poet-rapper Jonathan Brown (who’s house I’m renting as he tours his new album through the southern US) brought Steemit to my attention.

“What! Writers can get paid in cryptocurrency?!” I says.

Maybe this is what I’ve been looking for, I thinks.

“Ain’t that some shit.” I says.

What is the best platform to publish my work?

Do I need to be accepted by a journal, a reputably magazine, an agent, a publisher, or an MFA program to validate my writing?

How many Instagram followers should I have?

Do I need a boost from VICE or the Huffington Post to send my twitter following through the roof?

Or…is this new age of technology gradually rendering the gatekeepers obsolete?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, and recently I’ve been trying to forget the questions altogether and focus my attention on the work at hand.

A writer must write—that’s what I know.

Write. Write. Rewrite. Edit. Edit, and edit some more.

And of course, eventually share…

And that’s where Steemit comes in. I’ve decided to give the platform a shot and to share my stories, articles, blogs, essays, poems and raps with this new community.

In the upcoming days and weeks, I’ll begin to publish articles about the things that interest me: yoga, meditation, psychedelics, poetry, hip-hop, Muay Thai, basketball, travel, New Orleans, being a gringo in Mexico City, cooking tamales in Zacatecas, what it’s like to work as a migrant cherry picker in the Okanagan Valley in Canada… etc.

And…. if this thang begins to pick up a little steam, I may start publishing sections of my first book, The Renaissance Man Project. Shit, I might even publish the whole thing if it feels good.

So there you have it. My name is Nate Lost and this is my Steemit introduction. Mucho gusto cabrones. I look forward to sharing my story with you.

You can follow me on twitter @natelostwords
or on Facebook @NateLostArt
and find more of my writing at NateLost.com

***- as a newbie to steemit I originally tagged this post in Writing. My first post was deleted so that I could retag myself in the correct category. I hope that is okay!!