Nathan Chiu

Things that interest me

The development of taste and agency

Taste is the quiet accumulation of opinions you didn't know you were forming. It's the result of paying attention — to what moves you, what feels off, what you keep returning to. Most people have preferences, but fewer have taste: a coherent inner compass that can tell you why something works and what would make it better.

Agency is what you do with that compass. It's the belief that your judgment is worth acting on — that you can reach in and shape something rather than wait for permission. Together, taste and agency are what separate people who make things that matter from people who produce output. I think developing both is one of the most worthwhile things a person can do.

Community

The best communities I've been part of had something in common: everyone in them was trying to become something. Not just sharing an interest, but actively building, learning, or caring about something together. That shared forward motion is what turns a group of people into something that feels like home.

I think communities are one of the most underrated levers in the world. A great one can change what you believe is possible, give you models for how to live, and make you better by proximity alone. I'm interested in how they form, what sustains them, and how to build ones that actually last.