Simple is hard
And the return of the regular posts, maybe.
I enjoy getting lost in complexity.
It allows me to connect different disciplines, understand different perspectives, postpone judgment, be open-minded, think.
But staying in complexity should never be the destination. You should strive to get to the truth.
Truth doesn't look like ten years of research and thinking and blackboards upon blackboards of notes and formulas. You will grind through complexity, but you shouldn't stop there. When you find it, truth is often very simple, elegant even.
Truth looks like E = mc^2
But you can only recognize essential and straightforward after grinding through chaos and complexity.
It takes time.
Things I’ve been thinking about.
Articles, music, videos, software, books, quotes, anything that I think is interesting:
→ David A. Kolb’s - Experiential Learning
I used to run a startup in the education space a while back, and most recently, I went back to look at my experiential learning notes for another project. So much of it draws parallels to today's design and product development processes.
→ That which is unique, breaks
A beautiful essay from Simon Sarris that speaks to a lot of my fears and thoughts on commoditisation of our work and the value of craft.
"That which is unique, breaks. When finished objects become commodities, they break too, but are easily replaced. When you break a chair, you buy another chair. We know how to make one thousand chairs. But when the unique breaks, we might mend."
→ Podcast: Kara & Scott in conversation with Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb
Kara and Scott chat with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky about many things, from the travel industry to company culture and personal growth as a co-founder and CEO. What stood out to me is how Brian how kind, self-aware and thoughtful Brian seems to be.
A quote from Brian that stayed with me:
“In a crisis, you have to make principle decisions, not business decisions.”
On a personal note.
Oh hello there, it has been some time.
I know it's not an excuse, but 2021 was quite busy work-wise.
I never stopped writing. Even amidst 14+hrs workdays, I still journal every day, but the thoughts I jolt are messy, not very useful, and way less refined than what I would like to post here for you to read.
Or maybe, that's precisely what I should be posting here for you to read.
What do you think?