🏴 On art vs. science, hard resets, and inspiration. Ten Bullets.

To the obsessed,

Here are your weekly Ten Bullets. A list of ideas I can't stop thinking about- to help you build companies, make art, and find your obsession.

1. On creating for yourself:

"I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people's expectations. They generally produce their worst work when they do that. Never work for other people at what you do.

Always remember the reason you initially started was that there was something inside yourself- that you felt- that if you could manifest it in some way- you'd understand more about yourself and how you coexist with the rest of society.

The other thing I'd sa, is if you feel safe in the area you're working in, you're not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom- you're just about in the right place to do something exciting."

- David Bowie's Advice to Young Artists [YouTube]

2. On inspiration:

"The world is filled with countless books, movies, and songs- so many that one person cannot possibly hope to experience them all. Consequently, I place tremendous significance upon the media I encounter within the limits of my lifetime.

Such encounters are acts of happenstance; they can seem like a product of fate. I have no idea what will connect with me, or where, or what kind of connection will form. And so, rather than wait in a passive haze, I desire to act with purpose and to cherish the encounters that result from my choices. I feel the same way about meeting people.

That is why I go to a bookstore every day.

I keep going so that I may create new encounters."

"Even on my business trips, I can't feel at ease unless I have several books in my bag. Picking out books and reading them is more than a habit I've maintained through life; it's a part of who I am."

- Hideo Kojima (Creator of Metal Gear Solid), The Creative Gene

3. On a hard reset:

It you feel stuck in life, I highly recommend shaving your head and signing up for something extreme (marathon, bodybuilding, race, fight, etc).

It's a hard reset on how you view yourself. You're a new person. You're a new athlete. And you rapidly feel, look, and become, unrecognizable.

(I did this about 2 months ago, and cut 20 pounds with running.)

Sometimes, you need to jerk the wheel of life, drive off road, fight to survive on the way down, just to land peacefully on a new path. That new path will take you somewhere beautiful.

[Reply on Twitter]

Buzzed is the haircut of obsession. 🏴

If you read this and realize decide to shave your head, please email or DM me pictures. Please.

4. On art vs. science:

"I think the more you try to formalize and put a structure behind art, the worse it's going to get. And the more you just kind of let your mind run free and go wherever it wants to go, the better it's going to get. If you're a technical writer, that's probably not true. Then, you need like a formal research process. But I think if you're a storyteller or an artist, you just got to run free and go wherever it goes. I spend a lot of time reading, thinking, writing, talking to people, but it's not formalized at all. My calendar as it pertains to writing is totally free and open and has been for forever."

"I have always viewed writing as an art. In art there's no right answer."

- Morgan Housel (Author of The Psychology of Money), Making Media Podcast on Writing

5. On creating:

"Your self-expression allows the audience to have their own self-expression."

- Rick Rubin

"Make art that makes artists." - Jack Butcher

Your brand/idea should be someone's 'missing piece'- that helps them create a new, greater version of themselves.

They've always felt it, always resonated with it- but never had the label, the name, the product, the book- that captured it.

But now, they do. And they'll use it to not only create themselves- but create for everyone else.

Your life should be a painting (for others to get inspired).

Your ideas should be a paintbrush (for others to create).

6. On obsession:

“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”

- Richard Feynman

7. On great work:

"Choose work you have a natural aptitude for and a deep interest in. Develop a habit of working on your own projects; it doesn't matter what they are so long as you find them excitingly ambitious. Work as hard as you can without burning out, and this will eventually bring you to one of the frontiers of knowledge.

These look smooth from a distance, but up close they're full of gaps. Notice and explore such gaps, and if you're lucky one will expand into a whole new field. Take as much risk as you can afford; if you're not failing occasionally you're probably being too conservative. Seek out the best colleagues. Develop good taste and learn from the best examples. Be honest, especially with yourself. Exercise and eat and sleep well and avoid the more dangerous drugs. When in doubt, follow your curiosity. It never lies, and it knows more than you do about what's worth paying attention to."

- Paul Graham, How to Do Great Work (via Brian Ji)

'Your curiosity knows more than you do.'

8. On productivity:

"The price of productivity is creativity."

- Naval Ravikant

9. On re-creating yourself:

"Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions - your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life."

- Robert Greene, 48 Laws of Power (Law 25)

10. On 600 months: