Before we get into it:

You may or may not have noticed, but I missed two weeks in a row, which means one significant thing: I’m tired.

2024 has been good, but I’m going to wind downfor the rest of December and focus on refining this newsletter a little for 2025.

Thanks for reading!

Television delivers people

‘Television Delivers People’ is the title of a piece of video art made by Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman in 1973.

They bought local TV airtime to get their simple text broadcast:

You don't grow a network, you earn one

Trust and value build connections, not time or numbers.

Twitter tweet

A film shows behaviour over time

I really enjoyed the first few seasons of ‘House of Cards’.

In this video, Robin Wright shares the advice David Fincher gave when she was set to direct her first few episodes of the show.

His advice was simple:

She seems to interpret it as an equation, but I think he just means we watch characters, and see how pressures and conflicts cause them to respond over the passing of time.

Voyeurism 101.

…creating something complex and intriguing enough to want to sit with.

After all…

P.S.: I was also struck by the mention that House of Cards was shot on either a 27mm or a 32mm lens, which is the same range the Coen Brothers tend to shoot in… let it be known that this is literally all I know about lenses.

🇮🇪 ‘Say Nothing’ by Patrick Radden Keefe [BOOK]
Growing up in Ireland, I thought I couldn’t learn anything new about The Troubles. I was wrong….This book is fantastic, and deserves the hype. Maybe the best non-fiction book I’ve ever read?

🧵 ‘Green Room’ (2015) [FILM]
Gnarly thriller set at a punk gig- hadn't seen since it first came out. So good.

🦐 ‘Perfect Sense’ by Arctic Monkeys [SONG]
The closing track of Arctic Monkey's latest album ‘The Car’. I've had it on repeat.

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Systemic advantage beats heroic effort

As a reader of this newsletter, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Seth Godin pays me, considering how often I mention him.

He doesn’t.

But he does have a new book out: ‘This is Strategy’.

I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but he has been sharing excerpts from the audiobook on his podcast, which are very enjoyable.

Here are two insights that have already leapt out at me:

And more generally, on the topic of strategy, and its importance:

We’re all following a strategy, even if it’s just sliding along with what happens to us.

If you’d like another outcome, it’s probably best to establish your own.

Character is created through obstacle

When interviewers ask him about how he writes good drama, Aaron Sorkin often returns to the phrase ‘Intention and Obstacle’.

Character fills the space created by intention and obstacle.

They want something: intention.

But something stands in their way: obstacle.

‘Character’ is simply what they are willing to do to get it.

Cruella de Vil will go about achieving what she wants differently to say, Annie.

And in this sense, the writer doesn't need to know who a character is.

They just have to throw enough shit at them, and they'll find out.

So go throw some shit.

Don’t do anything that someone else can do

A few months ago, a leaked internal memo from Mr. Beast went viral.

I didn’t read it.

I let David Senra read it for me.

On his podcast, Founders, he breaks down what he learned from the document, and relates it to the biographies of other entrepreneurs he’s read.

One of the notes he makes has really stuck with me:

‘Don’t do anything that someone else can do’

He’s not talking about delegation, he’s talking about being unique.

Senra explains that he’s often found the same or similar advice elsewhere:

He then reads a passage direct from the memo, on why Mr Beast keeps drilling down into bigger and bigger giveaways and crazy ideas:

Doing what only you can do is the best thing that you can do.

It reminds your audience why they are returning to your work.

He mentions another anecdote where Larry Ellison is working with his sailing team to build a crazy expensive sail in order to try and win The America’s Cup, where Ellison is quoted as saying:

If you can do something really hard, you won’t have any competition.

If you can really be yourself, nobody can compete.

It’s the ultimate differentiator.

💉 Trainspotting (1996) [FILM]
I first saw this film when I was 12, and it made a huge impact on me. Haven't rewatched it in the past decade (until now). Still reeling from the creativity of it all. Stunning.

👁️ ‘Mr Hire's Engagement’ by Georges Simenon [NOVEL]
A self-described 'hard' novel, about a peeping tom who is suspected as a killer.

📽️ ‘when the movie's average shot length...' [VIDEO]
Really interesting short clip from Studio Stix about shot length.

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Make a contract with yourself

I’ve tried a few times to read George Saunder’s novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo' and have always found myself getting a lost. It's got a pretty inventive style that I haven't quite been able to get my head around.

His short story collections are just as inventive, but easier to get into.

Luckily, I discovered this great little explainer he made on how to read it:

He also wrote an accompanying essay, about how he came to write the book. It’s really worth a read, even if you’re interested in reading the book itself.

Here’s a short section, detailing how he approached writing it- making it less daunting and more fun, by keeping it a secret:

I’m a big proponent of doing whatever works to get the thing down on paper. And this one clearly worked for him.

I have to also credit this incredible line on writing:

The most dangerous competitor is the one with a single goal

‘Priority’ is singular for a reason.

If you have ‘priorities…’ you may have already lost.

Many mickles makes a muckle

Ryan Holiday highlights a timeless Stoic lesson from Seneca, emphasizing the power of small, daily gains to build a meaningful and virtuous life:

👻 ‘Leap of Faith- William Friedkin on The Exorcist’ (2019) [DOC]
Great director, even better storyteller.

🎤 ‘Scott 2’ by Scott Walker [ALBUM]
One of my all-time favourite albums. It will never wear out.

🔪 ‘Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction’ by Patricia Highsmith [BOOK]
I raced through this- Patricia Highsmith offers advice and insights into her process.

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Question the requirements

I like to track down insights from wherever I can, and they’re certainly not endorsements. Caution advised… this is one of those.

Back before Elon Musk was applying his considerable wealth to help elect a vain idiot and convicted felon to the highest office in the land, he was putting his thumb on the scales of other, more explicable efforts.

Lex Fridman recently released a podcast episode featuring Musk and members of the Neuralink team, on the incredible things they’re managing to do via brain implant.

At one point, he’s asked how his engineering team simplify certain processes. He talks about the basic first principles framework he uses when approaching any problem:

Wealth is discretionary time

I'm currently reading Million Dollar Consulting, and came across a nice encapsulation of what more money (should) actually buy you:

Prove it to yourself

Sylvester Stallone on the pressure that created Rocky:

🕵🏼‍♂️ ‘The Third Man’ (1949) [FILM]
75th anniversary of Carol Reeds’ classic, and my first time seeing it.

☁️ Memories, Dreams, Reflections [AUTOBIOGRAPHY]
Deep dive into Carl Jung’s life and ideas, in his own words.

🎤 Mm..Food [ALBUM]
20 years on, and still sounds fresh.

Struggling to get enough eyeballs on your content?

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If you can't see any hope, zoom out

Four years pass easier when you’re engaged in doing something positive.

Here’s a reminder from The Onion that despite the apparent US election results, perspective is always available.

Concentrate on story

I rewatched Django Unchained recently, and was struck by just how entertinaing every single beat of the story is. It's quite a straight story ultimately, but you really get the sense that Tarantino relishing the thrill of every scene.

Nothing is throwaway, or used to move the story along.

He's never racing through it.

And the effect is that as an audience member, you don't want to either.

This Frank Herbert quote hits on something similar:

Opinion reveals

The opiner doth protest too much…

💡 ‘Absence-of-light entertainment' [SHORT ARTICLE]
I really enjoyed this brief meditation on darkness and light in the Irish Times from Frank McNally (no relation…).

🤖 Audiopen [TOOL]
A great tool I've started using to dictate my notes and tidy them up.

❤️‍🩹 Gabor Mate on 'Young Again' [PODCAST]
Speaking on trauma, regret and addiction.

Struggling to get enough eyeballs on your content?

Posting on LinkedIn or social media won't do the trick; visibility only lasts 24 hours.

But a well-written article stays relevant and accessible for YEARS.

This is how top companies consistently reinforce their expertise.

You can do the same.

Here are 3 ways to start today:

• Build your own Newsroom: Create a central news hub on your website to build trust.

• Place your brand in top tier magazines: Target industry-specific magazines to reach a larger, more relevant audience.

• Get featured in magazines for free: Increase your chances of getting noticed by journalists by publishing regularly.

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What you call life was made up by people who were no smarter than you

Sweat more in prep, bleed less on set

Words to work by, from American Cinematographer Eric Messerschmidt:

Rethink retirement

Naval Ravikant has a more philosophical perspective on retirement:

👂 ‘The Random Show’ (Tim Ferriss / Kevin Rose) [PODCAST]
Great recent episode

📼 ‘3 things I learned from 800 days of vlogging’ - Casey Neistat [VIDEO]
He’s definitely put in the time. Love the rough-but-moving feel to his work.

🥃 How Flann O'Brien lost his job [TWEET]
Drunken, brilliant buffoonery.

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Design your life from the inside

I once heard an interview with Bryan Cranston where he was explaining how he became an actor. He said when he was growing up, he thought maybe he’d become a police officer, but then realised at 16 that all the popular girls were in drama class, so he decided to become an actor.

He then joked that his entire life was decided by ‘the libido of a 16 year old boy’.

It’s worked out pretty well for him, so I’m not sure he has much to regret.

The truth in the story though, is that most of us set out the course of our lives without really understanding what will be involved. We choose a lane, and pursue it, and feel shame or failure when it doesn’t work out exactly as we had planned.

It takes nerve to change course and to let go of things when they’re not serving you, but we should probably expect it far more than we seem to.

I recently posted about an episode of the Danny Miranda Podcast that featured Kieran Drew. Kieran decided to become a dentist at age 16, with only experience of living in a small town, i.e.: before having any inner understanding of what was involved.

On how he figured out what he really wanted:

Success is subjective, so don’t labour under someone else’s idea of it. There’s status (your life viewed from outside) and then there’s how you feel (how you experience it inside).

Commit to your own definition; design your life from the inside.

Good dialogue obscures to reveal

Ted Tally, screenwriter of ‘The Silence of The Lambs’ on how to write dialogue:

Break the ice three times

Tim Ferriss has a great build on a typical ice-creaker. He offers people at events to share "a brag, a give and an ask”.

🏆 One big thing you’ve done, to show your credentials (no false-modesty).

🚑 One thing you can help people with.

🆘 And one thing you need help with.

This gives others multiple dimensions to latch on to and start conversations.

🎥 ‘Michael Clayton’ (2007) [FILM]
Great to revisit this. Tony Gilroy’s very best, IMO.

👀 Great intro to Figma tutorial [VIDEO]
A great introduction for anyone looking to get into design.

🎨 ‘How to Become a Writer’ by Lorrie Moore [SHORT STORY]
It’s either a short story disguised as writing advice, or writing advice disguised as a short story? I can’t tell. It’s very good though.

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Develop a strong ‘rest ethic’

Use fewer tools, turn off notifications.

This week, I learned that Jack Dorsey operated Twitter and Square via the notes app on his phone.

No desktop.

No laptop.

No tablet.

Just an iPhone, the Notes app, with his notifications turned off.

Click for source

Let’s not mince words: this isn’t a productivity hack, it’s a wake-up call.

The teams who make social media apps get the rest of us hooked and quietly avoid using their own products (…except Elon, and plenty wish that he would.)

If you’ve seen ‘The Social Dilemma’, you might not need convincing.

Jonathan Haidt’s recent book ‘The Anxious Generation’ came under fire for suggesting that the rise of smartphones and social media is directly to blame for the an attendant rise in mental illness, many people blaming a lack ‘adequate research’ to point conclusively at the central claim.

But as he points out, it’s the largest uncontrolled experiment humanity has ever performed, and we’re performing it on ourselves, as well as generations of young people.

I think it’s probably worth being skeptical until it’s proven otherwise.

Share something that’s not yet expressed

Here I am, quoting myself.

See how important my thoughts appear, framed in this nice little box:

🎥 ‘Politics and the English Language’ by George Orwell [ESSAY]
This essay is still fantastic, and a must-read for anyone who writes anything. Strong words, but I mean it.

👀 ‘Exhalation’ by Ted Chiang [SHORT STORY]
The eponymous title story from Chiang’s fantastic collection. It left me in tears.

🎨 Agnes Varda and Pasolini in 1960's NY [VIDEO]
Lovely time capsule piece. I love what Pasolini says about actors and performances- it's always reality.

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Don’t earn a living, make one

It might seem semantic to make a distinction between 'earning a living' and 'making a living', but this Vonnegut quote got me thinking:

Twitter tweet

Sure, it might sound a little bit.. “dance like no one’s watching…”, but words matter, and I do think there’s something significant in the distinction.

‘Earning a living’ makes its incumbent upon you to scrape together the means to subsist, and essentially to justify your existence.

‘Making a living’ encourages you to ‘make life more bearable’ as he puts it.

It asks that you be active in creating the conditions of your life, improving on what you’re given and to making your experience the very best it can be.

Only one of these two asks you to look at the world around you and find the raw materials needed to make a better one.

Have a vision, and articulate it

A few weeks ago, I referenced a podcast episode where Nils Leonard outlined his take on what drives creative people.

One of the things he said was:

It’s gotten me thinking about a creative’s ‘vision’: the way they can picture an idea before it exists, and set out to bring it into reality. This is what I think he’s referring to, and in a way, it is all that sets the creative apart from anyone else.

I’d heard Quentin Tarantino speak elsewhere about ‘vision’, based on advice he had gotten early in his career from Terry Gilliam… advice that he refers to as ‘some of the best advice I was ever given’. At the time, he hadn’t yet made a single film. He had the script for Resevoir Dogs written, but was afraid that he might not have the skills to bring it to life.

Here’s what Gilliam told him:

Tradition is peer pressure from the dead

Sometimes, you clock a simple sentence that blows your mind

This one came from Lankum’s Instagram page (it’s gone now):

‘Tradition is peer pressure from the dead’

🎥 ‘What would Billy Wilder do?' [VIDEO]
Fantastic, short video essay on the best ever writer/director.

👀 ‘The Dangers of Low Agency’ [Reddit Post]
An eye-opening Reddit post, from a man who admits to ‘living my whole life the opposite of how I wanted’

🎨 The Value of a Critic’s Opinion… [TWEET]
See below…

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Change is always available

Writing alone mirrors depression

I’ve been rewatching Succession (about to start into Season 3), and revisiting interviews and profiles on the writers.

This insight came from an interview with playright Lucy Prebble, who had glowing things to say about her experience in the writers’ room- but her insight on the plight writing by yourself really stuck out to me:

Boots are made for writing

Third screenwriting-related idea this week…

3 He was giving general writing advice, and said his top recommendation was to “get a really solid pair of walking boots…” 

That might sound strange to anyone who’s never written a script before, but the small group in the workshop got it.

Much of the writing process doesn’t look like ‘writing’.

Feeling stuck?

Take a walk.

Things often have a way of working themselves out when you’re not at your desk.

💸 ‘Industry’ - Season 03 [TV SHOW]
This season felt a little uneven at times, but had plenty of highlights.

🚨 ‘First Two Seven Inches’ by Minor Threat [MUSIC]
I’m on a real punk and hardcore tear, and this is a current highlight.

🛶 ‘John Oliver is still working through the rage’ [PODCAST]
I’ve occasionally enjoyed clips of John Oliver’s show, but the irateness grates after a while. That said, this interview with him is fasntastic, and reveals how his team researches, develops and puts together the main segment of their show (a process that takes them 6 weeks…!).

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No Losing Momentum.

I’m one full day late with this email, but still moving.

Busy this week- clearly.

Will have a longer one for you next Wednesday.

Enjoy,
- Enda

This weeks’ highlights, if you’re short on time:

• How AI might create a ‘K-shaped’ economy.

• How to ask.

• Some sick and twisted comedy recommendations.

That which makes you different could be that which makes you valuable.

Scriptnotes is a long-standing podcast on screenwriting, from John August (Big Fish, Go) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Last of Us).

I’ve only ever dipped in and out of it, but have always found something worth listening for.

This recent episode on ‘finding your voice as a writer’ didn’t disappoint:

This is true for most fields, but in the world of screenwriting, it’s essential. If you’re mimicking someone else’s voice- someone already known, and more successful- why shouldn’t the studio simply hire that person?

It also links in nicely with a Tweet I spotted Shaan Puri sharing via his 5-Tweet Tuesday email:

Twitter tweet

(FYI- for any non-nerds, ‘Cursor’ is an AI code editor that is making a lot of web developers panic about the long-term security of their jobs…)

Shaan expands on this by predicting how the growth of AI might impact most industries:

It has never been more important to understand what you uniquely bring to the table. And much like the screenwriter looking to find their unique voice, most workers might soon need to lean into the core oddness they may have learned over the years to hide, and put it on display instead.

If ChatGPT can do it, why hire you to do it?

If it’s not unique to you, they don’t need it from you.

Image taken from 5-Tweet Tuesday

Ask specifically.

Exploit unrecognized simplicity.

I can’t find the original source of this quote, but I love it:

🤣 ‘Such Brave Girls’ on BBC [TV Show]
Crass, disgusting (and recently BAFTA-winning) comedy.

🚨 ‘Rebel Ridge’ on Netflix [Film]
Tense and gripping action thriller from Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin). Be patient for the first 30 mins- it goes wild from there…

🛶 ‘The End’ by Samuel Beckett [Novella]
Moving, hilarious, horrifying… I’ve never read Beckett’s shorter prose, and honestly, I was expecting minor works. This one is incredible- the wild swing from pathos to bathos makes it feel like Ulysses condensed down to 20 pages.

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I got my first sponsorship offer.

This week, I received my first sponsorship offer for the newsletter.

It wasn’t a good fit, so I turned it down.

That said, I would be open to paid sponsorship here- but it needs to be something I genuinely approve of. I want it to fit with the rest of the content and align nicely with your interests (and mine).

Definitely don’t want to spam anyone, or take up half the email with ads.

Some of my favourite newsletters now make it hard to distinguish the actual content from the sponsored content, which irritates me.

I won’t be doing that.

Here are this weeks’ highlights, if you’re short on time:

• A strong definition of ‘wisdom’

• How to overcome the fear of self-promotion

• A fantastic feature on Prince, and the documentary we might never see

Wisdom is paradoxical.

This is a great definition for intelligence.

I think it’s also a good basis for a definition of what we call ‘wisdom’.

Knowledge is fixed.

Wisdom is about how you modulate knowledge.

It’s about having the judgement to about judgement.

As The Serenity Prayer says:

“…the grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other,”

To have knowledge, you simply cling to a fixed point of view.

To be wise, you need to be able to hold two distinct points of view and modulate between them.

Be frugal, but spend on what matters.

Be demanding of yourself, but be kind to yourself.

Treat other people well, but don’t let them take you for a ride.

Life is longer than you think, and life is shorter than you think.

Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad…

You can’t help people if you can’t reach them

Found this via The Danny Miranda Podcast.

It’s painful to consider this, but a fear of promotion might be better understood as a lack of commitment.

Kieran Drew quit his job as a dentist, built a huge online audience and launched a number of successful courses and products.

But not before spending time struggling to speak up.

Around the 14:20 mark, Danny reads a quote of Kieran's about a previous failed launch compared with a successful one:

We’re all part of creation.

Listen to your voice, and use it.

No permission is needed.

via Henry Miller:

🎤 ‘The Prince We Never Knew’ [ARTICLE]
Great feature in the New York Timer, on the painstaking creation of a 9-hour long Netflix documentary on Prince that may never be released…

💥 ‘Rack’ by The Jesus Lizard [ALBUM]
Raucous, jagged new album from the Austin noise-rockers.

💭 ‘The Lathe of Heaven’ by Ursula K. Le Guin
This blew my mind. Incredibly inventive sci-fi classic about a man whose dreams alter reality, and the doctor who tries to steal the ability for himself.

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Writing a weekly newsletter is great.

It’s license to live a more interesting life.

For me, it’s put order on thinking and reading, and has helped me to see if what I'm learning is actually worth learning… 🤔

Thanks for being along for the ride.

Here are 3 things that have been on my mind this week:

Falling on your face isn’t fatal.

Failure is a necessary element of success. In any walk of life, it's the uncomfortable cost of doing business.

You’ve probably heard the question “what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” which is intended to help people identify their calling in life.

But it’s not a helpful question.

Now when failure (large or small) is inevitable.

Seth Godin puts a great twist on it, asking instead:

“What would you do, if you could only fail?,”

This version refuses to ignore the reality of failure.

The truth is, our reluctance to face discomfort is the hidden shape of our lives.

Mark Manson asks: “What are you willing to suffer for?”

Tim Ferriss echoing Tara Brach, asks “What are you unwilling to feel?”

David Bowie made 26 studio albums.

He’s remembered for the good ones.

Pieter Levels has launched 70+ projects.

Only 1% have ever made money.

But that's all you need.

That’s what working despite failure looks like.

And if you resist it, you’re resisting what success there might be too.

Clever-but-lazy is the sweet spot.

Prussian generals knew where to put the right people.

Hat-tip to my cousin John for this one:

Heritage often begins as heresy.

The accepted was once unacceptable. The original context has long been forgotten, and only the idioms remain.

Here are some other things:

🕶️ ‘Who really murdered Pier Paolo Pasolini?’ [Article]
Fantastic in-depth look at the Pasolini murder case in the FT.

🔫 ‘The Mask of Dmitrios’ by Eric Amble [Novel]
Really great proto-spy thriller novel from 1939.

🎥 ’The Sustained Two-Shot’ [Video]
Tony Zhou is back! If you don’t know his ‘Every Frame a Painting’ channel on Youtube, it’s well worth checking out.

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Unless

Here are 3 things that have been on my mind this week:

Make friends with the eminent dead.

Charlie Munger’s snappy way of saying ‘read biographies’.

The frame defines the picture.

There’s something really nice here.

Virgil Abloh had an insight he referred to as ‘candle theory’: one story is told by an object itself, and another is told by the staging around it.

He explains, by referencing a small candle in a dented tin can:

If you look at the image of Kanye West’s ever-evolving stage presentations below, you can see this playing out. The performance is largely the same, but each bold visual has a unique tone and framing that elevates that core experience, and forces you to see it from a new perspective:

Twitter tweet

Time is the real currency of life.

‘fatFIRE’ is a Reddit community for people looking to retire early.

(…it stands for ‘Financial Independence, Retire Early’)

Like most Reddit communities, it features a mix of obnoxious stuff and some really solid practical content.

This one might be obvious to some, but it bears repeating:

There’s a story about the novelists Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller visiting the house of a millionaire neighbour of theirs. Vonnegut jokes that the guy earned more in a week than Heller did in his entire career.

“I’ve got one thing he’ll never have,” replies Heller.

“What’s that…?” Vonnegut asks.

“Enough,”

Here are some other things:

👶🏼 ’My Next Life’ by George Carlin [TWEET]
A funny note from a true original.

💔 ‘Signs and Symbols’ by Vladimir Nabokov [SHORT STORY]
I found this via a list of Mary Gaitskill’s favourite short stories. It’s excellent, but be warned- it’s also extremely distressing and bleak…

🛩️ ‘The Country Husband’ by John Cheever [SHORT STORY]
Another from the same list. This one is great too, bursting with middle class suburban unrest.

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I’ve been out of action. 🤢

Turns out there’s a simple 2-step process for reaching your ideal weight:

1- Catch gastroenteritis
2- Wait 7 days

That's what happened to me anyway.

I'm down 5kg, I've had a horrifying week, and I’m done talking about it.

Here are 3 things that have been on my mind this week:

Choose what you're willing to struggle for.

Happiness requires struggle.

So which struggle do you choose?

From Mark Manson:

What would it mean to be done for the day?

Knowledge workers and people who work from home have discovered a tricky new issue- how the fuck are you supposed to switch off?

Here’s another great insight from Oliver Burkeman.

Forget being finished. Focus on what’s good enough for today.

This chimes well with Dale Carnegie’s idea of living in ‘day-tight compartments’. In other words, focusing only on today’s work.

Go your own way.

Carl Jung, from the 'Red Book':

Twitter tweet

Here are some other things:

🎧 Pieter Levels x Lex Fridman [PODCAST]
Great conversation. Pieter has launched 70+ projects, and only 1% makes money. Stop overcomplicating things and hit publish!

✍🏼 Advice on writing from CS Lewis [TWEET]
Simple advice to a young fan.

🌚 ’In McDonalds’ by Burial [MUSIC]
I’d forgotten how brief and beautiful this track is.

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On choosing to ‘waste’ a few hours.

Last week, I shared this quote:

I took it to heart, and decided to ask myself:

‘In two years time, what would I be glad I took the time to learn this week?’

The answer came to mind pretty quickly.

I've used Figma for the odd few bits of design I do for a few years now, but I knew I could really do with revisiting the basic principles.

So I bought this course, and spent 6 hours on it.

Nothing to show for it thus far, but honestly- I’ve already picked up a few things that I know will hugely improve my workflow.

Here are 3 things that have been on my mind this week:

Stop sanding down your awkward edges.

I came across an old episode of a podcast called The Imposterous.

The concept is simple- they interview creatives on the topic of imposter syndrome, and end by reassuring them they’re valued and that they belong.

Ironically, the Nils Leonard episode dispenses with that conceit pretty fast:

He talks of his time working as an ad agency designer, and the frustrations that led him and his co-founders to start Uncommon, and agency that does most things differently.

The main part is doing work that stands out- not so it will be accepted and awarded (which it is), but so it will be seen.

Stop sanding down your awkward edges and be satisfied to be weird.

The bits that don’t fit are the only ones worth sharing.

Choose the right wave, earn the right to be wrong.

In business, you can screw up a lot, and still not fail if you have the core basics right. This means you’ve chosen the right problem, serve the right audience, and have found yourself landing at the exact right time.

Shaan Puri says as much about his time at Twitch.

On a recent episode of My First Million, he noted how:

They were on the right wave at the right time, which gave them leeway to make mistakes and still not fail.

It chimes with this section of Noah Kagan’s book ‘Million Dollar Weekend’:

Build on what's already working.

One of the simplest and best principles that I picked up from reading James Clear’s ‘Atomic Habits’ is what he calls ‘habit stacking’:

One of my strongest existing habits is writing this email every week.

One of my weakest is being consistent with posting to social media.

So, I’m going to try this out in practice.

I’ll be building social media time and outputs on top of my existing newsletter writing process. This will hopefully help me to grow the audience for the newsletter, as well as taking the sting out of posting more frequently.

Start right where you are.

Here are some other things:

🎨 'Show Your Work' by Austin Kleon
Fun short read about sharing your creative process as you make the work.

🪅 ‘Piñata’ by Freddie Gibbs
Freddie Gibbs / Madlib collab is 10 years old and still sounds great.

☠ ‘Nightclub Canary' - Dead Cross
Mike Patton on singing (screaming) for a living.

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