Via negativa
Why this newsletter is unfocused
Why keep a newsletter unfocused? Why is this person writing posts that sound like creative/spiritual woo-woo ? Why not stick to a fixed area of expertise, build up a repertoire and become known for doing this one thing?
^ That’s actually the voice of my inner critic. To him I say: creative work is self-indulgent. The only difference is that I’m sharing what I’m doing, because I can. What happens after I hit the publish button doesn’t matter. That I’ve sat at the blank page and moved past it is enough.
But to address this more substantially:
I’m decidedly in a period of exploration. Too much time spent in a single working identity had the effect of narrowing my focus, and consequently my values, my incentives…my world. And that’s OK - aiming at something concrete made me something, rather than nothing. But too much focus and optimisation on a single thing (Moloch) automatically means sacrifice: other interests and parts of your life that need tending to. Put simply, it matters what you aim at.
By allowing myself a space in which to play, to explore, and to do things for their own sake, I’m giving myself creative license. I’m also allowing myself to go through a process where I digest, synthesise, and share my interests, learnings, and observations that I’ve collected through the years. By getting them out of my head and on to the (web) page, I’m also sorting through them, so to speak. I’m discarding what doesn’t work or stick, and retaining what is useful. Via negativa.
Via negativa, explained:
“The principle that we know what is wrong with more clarity than what is right, and that knowledge grows by subtraction. Also, it is easier to know that something is wrong than to find the fix. Actions that remove are more robust than those that add because addition may have unseen, complicated feedback loops.” - Nassim Taleb
Writing is the way for me to do that. Through a process of searching (explore), I discover what sticks. That’s when I’ll burrow down deep (exploit). I hope that this process will help me determine my future direction.
In The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo’s advice is to not just throw things away wholesale, but to go through a process of deliberately sifting through your different items, keeping the ones that spark joy. I’m doing something similar with my thoughts and the information I’ve consumed over the years, probing for the signal over the noise.
One of the downsides of a high information diet is that your mind can become clogged unless you find a way to organise and synthesise new information properly, i.e. put it away in the right filing cabinet, record it somewhere, or share it with somebody. The anxiety and pressure to hold on to a piece of information can create blocks which further extend into your capacity for action, blunting it. This is also why I journal: even if I don’t have an audience, I still have a way of externalising my thoughts, leaving me more free to act.
It’s often said the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.
Sharing, or making conference with an idea is a way of distilling information into knowledge for yourself and for someone else.
Another way to do it is by adopting an information management system, or creating a second brain. There’s enough on this out there, and I’d encourage you to explore your options. Ultimately, the tool doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve got it out of the way and found a place for it.
“We need a reliable and simple external structure to think in that compensates for the limitations of our brains.” - Sonke Ahrens
We’re in a high information world with a lot of noise and too less signal. Writing this newsletter helps me focus on and share what’s important and meaningful to me.
Here’s some further reading if you’re interested:
War, Moloch and the Tsar Bomba by Tom Morgan
Why read: You’ll appreciate the costs of optimising for a single outcome, and the importance of allowing room for flexibility. Tom is probably my best find over the past year or so. I’d highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter, The Attention Span. How I found him was incredibly synchronistic: I listened to his appearance on this podcast. The podcast’s subject? Information curation in the digital age, something I’m naturally interested in. Finding another person who seemed to embody a lot of what I envision for myself was…liberating. His vulnerability and openness about his own Hero’s Journey has helped me embrace my own.
How to Take Smart Notes, by Sonke Ahrens
Why read: Sonke describes the Zettlekasten system, a system of note-taking that can help people who read a lot organise their insights in a meaningful way. Used effectively, it can help you learn things more effectively and see the connections between things. It can also give you clues as to where your interests lie. Here is an interview with Sonke.The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo (also now a Netflix show) Why read: We simply have too many things. Minimalism isn’t simply about living with less or getting rid of everything. It’s about retaining what’s meaningful. This is one of those books I recommend reading before a house move or transition of any kind.
Thanks for reading!