About

I’m Ken Tinnin — a writer, guitarist, and songwriter. When I exited the Marines in 2007, my intent was to build a website to showcase my writing. Somehow, this detoured into creating web content and websites for others, and I drifted from my original intent. But writing kept appearing in all those detours—web content, firearms lesson plans for a few years, and guitar lesson plans and support materials for 15 years. I’ve been writing in various forms since attending the Defense Information School in 1998 and later as an instructor in 2001. I’ve also been playing guitar since 1989 and writing and recording original music in some form of home studio since the mid-90s. I earned a Master Certificate in Music Production and Guitar from Berklee College of Music while on active duty.

Now, I’m documenting procedures and policies in my current job and writing this Substack where I investigate recurring friction in my own life to uncover the underlying patterns behind it, in the hope that readers recognize those same patterns in their own lives. Friction is a signal. It tells us to pay attention. Everything I discuss is real; it either happened to me or is happening in real time. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but I can share what’s worked for me and hope it’s of some value to you. There is a real cost when friction, especially recurring friction, is ignored.

Listen to my music on Spotify and Apple Music.

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