Chapter 1 - You Don't Have to Be a Genius

🎆 My top 3 quotes

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” ― Shunryu Suzuki

🧠 Summary and Notes

This chapter encourages readers to embrace their own unique perspective and share their journey rather than striving for perfection. It highlights that everyone has something valuable to contribute.

• Find a Scenius

  • “Scenius” is a healthier way to think about creativity – “a whole scene of people supporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from each other, stealing ideas, and contributing ideas”.
  • Great ideas are curated by a group of individuals like artist, curators, thinkers, theorist etc. makes up an ecology of talent
  • lone geniuses were actually part of the community
  • Good work is not created in a vacuum, it's a result of a collaboration. the result of a mind connected to other minds
  • We live in a age where we can easily find scenius people (sky is the limit due to the digital age)

• Be an amateur

  • amateur are willing to try anything and share the results.
  • Creative work spectrum: You can move from mediocrity to good in increments but the real gap is between doing nothing than doing something
  • may lack formal training but they are all life long learners
  • retain an amateur spirit, embrace uncertainty and the unknown - use whatever tools you can hang on.
  • try to take notes on what they are not sharing

• You can't find your voice if you don't use it

  • talk about the things you love and your voice will follow.
  • if you want the people about what you do and the things you care about, you have to share.

• Read obituaries

  • remember that i will be dead soon, is a great tool to help make big choices in life. All external expectations will fall away in the face of death.
  • They are about life - how heroic people are and how noble.