The Kick of Creation
Happy Sunday, friends.
Welcome back to PATH NINE.
I’m back home this week, and settling back into my routine again. Despite the delays in building our home, we’ve been doing our best to focus on ways to enjoy the summer and continue creating. Hope you’re off doing the same.
Have a great week!
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"Nobody will stop you from creating. Do it tonight. Do it tomorrow. That is the way to make your soul grow... The kick of creation is the act of creating, not anything that happens afterward. I would tell all of you watching this screen: Before you go to bed, write a four line poem. Make it as good as you can. Don’t show it to anybody. Put it where nobody will find it. And you will discover that you have your reward." - Kurt Vonnegut
Here are five things that I thought were worth sharing this week:
This week, one of my favorite writers—and fellow LC Valley native—Anne Helen Petersen, wrote an excellent piece called How Your House Makes You Miserable. In short, she explored the recent idea of professionalizing the home to conform to current market trends and tastes, which ultimately creates a tension between the creative style of the homeowner and the need to maximize resale value. Anyone who's had to sit and listen to me gripe about the anonymization of residential and commercial architecture won't be surprised to learn that her article struck a chord. Further, as someone (still…maybe, forever?) in the process of building a house, this rings even more true. Is there space for individualism in a world obsessed with a singular form of market value?
Ideas I'm thinking about: As you know, I loved Jenny Odell's recent release Saving Time, which examined our relationship to time, personally and professionally. This past week, I stumbled upon a piece that brought her work to light in new ways, connecting it to the natural environment and its record of time. The idea of time is stressful for me, and it can be hard to be present; I'm always striving to convert time into money. As I've explored ways to be more present and mindful, I've found that the natural environment holds secret tracking devices that remind us of the fleeting nature of time and the limiting value of perceiving time as money. If you look hard enough, you'll see that everything is a clock, and each second is measured differently.
What I'm reading: The Cosmic House by Andrew Eberlin. Architects seem predisposed to overly complex, esoteric, specialized language. And Architectural Theorists are further prone to this trait, often attaching excessively detailed narratives and theses to each element, form, and structure. It’s not particularly surprising, since artists commonly have a deeper connection with their creations, and the narratives give meaning to their work. But architectural historian and theorist Charles Jencks takes it to the next level with his work in the Cosmic House. The house is a collaboration between the owners, Charles and Maggie Jencks, with the architect Terry Farrell, and contributions from artists, including Eduardo Paolozzi. This piece by Andrew Eberlin explores the experimental and intricate designs that Jencks embedded into this experimental house, including symbols denoting solar years, black holes, quantum physics, and more.
What I'm watching: A while back, I read Susan Casey's The Wave, a fascinating book about surfing legend and overall badass Laird Hamilton's search for suicidally large waves. Naively, I assumed that, like most audacious, dangerous, and unattainable pursuits, the goal that Laird and his crew were chasing was uniquely confined to these particular individuals. That is until I saw a man in his mid-fifties dominating unthinkably large waves off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. That man was Garrett McNamara. 100 Foot Wave on HBO follows Garrett and a team on their inspiring and, at times, panic-inducing pursuit of surfing's crucible: conquering the 100-foot wave. If you can stomach the daunting idea of a 100-foot wave, then the inspiration found in such a courageous and earnest group is worth the time.
What I'm listening to: This episode of Invest Like the Best by Patrick O’Shaughnessy made the rounds last week, and it's definitely worth a listen for anyone interested in understanding how smart investors differentiate themselves. Jeremy and Patrick have deep and vast professional experience, and this wide-ranging conversation delves into Jeremy's experience with Tiny Capital, his business philosophies, insights into incentives, hiring CEOs, negotiating, and more. It's a fantastic conversation that deserves your time.
Coming up next: I’ve been working on an article about the Return to Office (RTO) mandates taking place in the tech sector and what these efforts mean for the future of work. If you haven't already subscribed, do it now so you can get the latest issue.
And, just in case you missed it…
Here are some things that I’ve written and shared recently.
Until Next Time!
That’s it for this week. As always, if you like the content, please do me a favor and share it with your friends — this newsletter runs on overpriced whiskey and reader engagement.
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Thanks for reading, and see you soon,
— Kevin K. (@kkirkpatrick)