Merging trends, art, and history to make better sense of our evolving culture

The Only Thing More Constant Than Change

In the 19th century, German forestry planners needed to maximize the volume of timber they produced, so they cleared forests of underbrush and other “unnecessary” flora and set about planting trees in standardized rows. As a result, lumber production soared… for a while. But sometime later, the trees began to die.

What the planners failed to see was that the so-called useless underbrush was essential to the forest’s ecosystem. The flora decomposed into nutrients that fed the trees. The moss and shrubs supported biodiversity. Far from being wasteful, the tangled layers of life made the entire system alive.

This little story about forests can be applied to how we approach our lives, careers, and creative work. It’s tempting to focus only on what seems productive and “actionable.” But when we ignore the underbrush of learning, experimentation, and even failure, we deprive ourselves of the very nutrients that sustain long-term progress.

Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher, is often paraphrased as saying, “The only constant in life is change.” But The Lindy Effect also says that the longer something has lasted, the more likely it is to persist.

Homer’s epics have survived nearly 3,000 years. Shakespeare’s plays have been continuously performed for over 400. Countries like the Byzantine Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Empire no longer exist, yet their artistic legacies still influence us.

Despite all the changes in the world, art persists and adapts in ways their own authors never even imagined. (I would very much love to watch a YouTube video of Homer—the real one, not the yellow one—reacting to the 2004 adaptation, Troy, starring Brad Pitt. Might be funnier than yellow Homer.)

What does this mean for us today? Even when the rest of the world seems to continuously shrink its attention span and doom scroll and brain rot itself to death, these enduring works remind us that while change may be constant, so too is our—and our art’s—ability to adapt and persist.

This is why Artist Analysis exists. Like you, I’m also a creator, thinker, and consumer. In this newsletter, I analyze the undercurrents that shape our culture by drawing insights from enduring works of art (mostly literary art, being a writer myself), insightful patterns in history, and the trends affecting our world, to see where we are and where we might be headed.

This newsletter is for anyone seeking fresh perspectives of the world, especially those striving to create meaningful art or thought-provoking work.

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About Me

I’m John Pucay (pronounced poo-khay), a researcher, short filmmaker, and full-time writer. My personal writing, which has appeared in Vice, Rappler, Anomaly, and others, often deals with life, polyamory, mountain running, and the complex realities of making a living as an artist. I've also contributed as a researcher and editor to a 2024 nonfiction book published by Portfolio/Penguin Random House. Most recently, I received the 2025 Alumni Award from the Iceland Writers Retreat, co-founded by former First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid and editor Erica Jacobs Green.

I also co-write another Substack newsletter called Writing to (L)Earn, where, once a month, I publish a curated analysis of the latest trends and data relevant to writers and creative professionals.

With Artist Analysis, I merge my interest in storytelling and cultural insights to help others navigate the intersection of art, history, and trends. If these ideas resonate with you, I warmly invite you to join me on this journey.