Quantity and creativity – The 200 words project

Two artists, Ted Orland and David Waylon, relate the story of a ceramics teacher who found herself teaching a class on two separate days, neatly divided in half. She decided to try an A/B experiment. To the first half of the class she said what she’d been saying for years – “You’ll be graded based on the quality of your work. At the end of the semester, turn in the single best piece of pottery you created.” To the other half of the class, she said something very different. She explained to them that they would be graded purely on quantity – “Crank out as many pots as you can this semester.”

At the end of the term, she noticed that the best pots – both technically and artistically – didn’t come from the quality group, they came from the quantity group. By making pot after pot after pot, they were learning, and adapting. They didn’t set out to make the best pots, yet they did. Meanwhile, the other half spent the semester aiming for perfection and falling short.

We succeed by trying and failing, not by striving for perfection. Perhaps persistence isn’t so much sticking with something as it is persistently improving.

“What you need to know about the next piece is contained in the last piece. – David Bayles & Ted Orland

quantity, creativitySource

Source and thanks to: Ken Norton’s essay – 10x, not 10%, Art & Fear by David Bayles, Ted Orland

Heidi, Girl of the alps

This Saturday, I thought I’d turn the clock back to a time 15 years ago. Every Saturday and Sunday, I used to tune into Cartoon Network to watch “Heidi” between 1pm-2pm. Heidi marked a very special memory for me. Heidi told the story of a little girl who found so much joy in the simple things – a green meadow, a breath of fresh air, and the beauty of nature. To this day, I love walking on grass, do my best to appreciate nature and enjoy the breath of fresh air. Heidi has a lot to do with all of this and many other quirks revolving nature. Her journey taught me not to take the smell of fresh air for granted.

I’ve searched online for the English version of the show many times since. As I was did this again a few days ago, I stumbled on the Wikipedia page of the show. While I knew it was a dubbed version of a Japanese anime cartoon, I learnt 2 interesting things. First, Heidi is touted as one of the major reasons for Japanese tourists visiting the Swiss alps. The second was an interesting snippet –

The entire series has been re-dubbed into English on two separate occasions — first in the late 1970s, when the series was shown in the Philippines, and again in 2001 for broadcast in India on Cartoon Network. Although this dub was done by the animation studio for airing in India, they never included the English audio on subsequent DVD releases. Interestingly, none of the DVD releases around the world have English subtitles on them either.

For some reason, the English version seems to be lost. In my searches, I stumbled on many others who’d seen the show on Cartoon Network asking about the show. I found the Japanese version with the English subtitles – it is definitely not the same. The dub was fantastic and Heidi’s voice still strikes a chord somewhere deep inside.

As I write this, I hope the English version will be found at some point. It was a beautiful show and is one I hope kids all over the world will get to enjoy and learn from. I certainly did.

HeidiSource

Benefits of laptop crashes

I have a love-hate relationship with Windows. There is more love than hate thanks to comfort bred by familiarity and Microsoft Office. Yes, yes, MS Office is available on a Mac but I don’t think it is nearly the same using Excel on a Mac.

The biggest reason for the hate part of the relationship is Windows Update. It has crashed my laptop twice in the past couple of years and caused all sorts of issues previously. For example, there was an automatic update to Windows 10 last week followed by a “critical update” that caused a crash. Windows has become better about Windows update linked issues and crashes over the years but there are still problems. And, to me, it speaks to the complexity of ensuring compatibility across devices produced by so many different manufacturers. When it comes to user experience, there are many benefits to complete vertical integration.

A bright side to these crashes is that I’ve learned to become very nimble when it comes to my data – thanks to a combination of Dropbox Pro for my files, Lastpass and Chrome sign in for all things browser, 2 Gmail accounts that bring together all personal email accounts, and the awesome Ninite installer, it takes me about an hour to get set up on a new laptop. Dropbox Pro deserves special credit as I even had a paid subscription to Crashplan before switching to Dropbox Pro. The Dropbox user experience is so much better.

I’ve learnt that I’m most attached to my laptop among my devices. I could comfortably go a few days without my phone but it is my laptop that makes me feel “in control.” So, these systems go a long way in making sure I don’t have too much trouble when things go south.

As the wise Rafiki says – “You can either run from it… or learn from it.”

laptop crashes, benefits, rafiki, learn from it,Source

 

Predictable ways

I noticed some behavior from a couple of folks I admire the other day and found myself saying – “Awesome people are awesome in very predictable ways.”

I was reminded of Tolstoy’s fantastic quote

All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

I think Tolstoy’s quote channels a central idea – to be happy and to do good requires you to live life in accordance to certain principles. As I wrote the other day, it is become increasingly apparent to me that the central principle that underlies all these principles is love. Building off Scott Peck’s definition of love as the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual mental/growth, happy families are willing to do the hard work required to love each other. This primarily means prioritizing each other, committing and re-committing to each other and giving each other the necessary amount of attention. This isn’t easy. But, it is the foundation on which happy families are built.

I’ve seen a similar thread from people I consider awesome – they care a whole lot about helping other people. That doesn’t mean they always say yes. Over time, they’ve learnt to say no to most requests as they’re focused either on their own work or saying yes to other requests that will likely benefit more folks. Their judgment is likely not perfect every time. But, it gets better. They get better. And, most importantly, they’re out there every day, hustling, smiling and giving it their best shot.

It is all very predictable. But, it isn’t easy to do. And, that’s what makes them awesome.

predictable, awesome

KIS – MBA Learnings

As I reflected on my graduate school experience the other day, I was reminded of the fact that there have been many unsung heroes who’ve gone a long way in making this experience meaningful and memorable. While I naturally thought of the many support staff at school who’ve helped with the many “small things,” the office of student affairs with whom I’ve partnered on a bunch of occasions, among others, I thought of a group that has been ever present through the experience – KIS or Kellogg Information Systems.

KIS has had a huge impact on my experience in two ways –
1. The support side of the  team has risen to the occasion every time I’ve had an issue to my laptop. Just this Sunday, I had a Windows update crash my laptop. I requested KIS for help by Monday morning and my laptop was ready by Monday evening. I’ve had a few of these over the past year – not every one of them had as smooth a resolution. But, when I needed them, KIS have always been there – supportive and helpful.
They’ve also put up with my requests for shared mailboxes for every team I’ve led as they’re wonderful tools for collaboration. After some initial hiccups as it was an unusual request, we’ve got on great on this front too.

2. The events side of the team, on the other hand, has been a true partner that has played a role in the success of every event I’ve organized. My events have rarely been plain vanilla events and, as a result, the requests have consistently pushed them – “Can you get a seamless Skype/video call experience with state-of-the-art microphones? Can you now record this call? Can you live stream it to the next room? Can you set up the auditorium differently? How about the lighting in this place? Can you set up a nice looking stage?” They’ve always answered in the affirmative, always been constructive, and when things have gone wrong, they have always risen to the occasion.

The KIS team, to me, represent all the wonderful support I’ve received here as a student. They don’t just their job – they go the extra mile. And, it shows.

As I thought about the KIS team and all the support staff, I realized that, every little thing that is done well, is a lot like a human pyramid – it has more people supporting it than we often realize. So, when things go well, it helps to pause and give thanks to all those who made something work. It takes an understanding and appreciation of all the pieces that make something work to build systems that work yourself.

Thank you, KIS, and all the support staff from team Kellogg.

KIS, Kellogg information systems, supportSource

5 small tweaks aiding intensity

1. Mobile – collapsing apps I don’t want to be checking into a group on my second screen. This increased intensity has reduced my propensity to check. Aside from the fact that it involves more work to check these app, I find myself asking – “Do you really need to do this?” – as I consider doing this.

2. Browser – Collapsing bookmarks into groups. I used to have all my useful bookmarks laid out. This is similar to surrounding yourself by all sorts of unhealthy food while attempting to diet. Collapsing them into folders means they’re no longer in view.

3. Browser – Collapsing the bookmark bar altogether. Why stop at creating folders when I can collapse the bar altogether? Chrome has a nice bookmarks bar usage flow. Once you collapse it, you don’t see it in a working tab but, once you open a new tab, you see it again. Perfect.

4. Laptop – Removing outlook from task bar and shutting all sorts of notifications. I’ve removed email from my task bar as of a few months and have it closed when I’m not clearing email. However, I think I’ve become more aggressive with regards to notifications. While I shut out all notifications on my laptop, since December break, I’ve made sure all notifications except a text or call (both of which are rare) are off.

5. Mobile/laptop – Switching off Wifi on my phone often. Whenever I set out to focus intensely of late, I switch off Wifi on my phone and put it away (often in another room). I’ve begun doing this on occasion on my laptop as well.

Small tweaks => Big impact.

intensity, tweaksImage source

Picking up the phone

I received a long email about an important project last week. I had a few questions about the email and decided to just call the person who’d written to me to go through my questions. We had a 10 minute conversation that would almost certainly have required 8-10 emails.

I do this once a while but don’t do it nearly as often.

A similar thought had crossed my mind earlier that day when someone I knew texted me with what could only be described as a pretty heavy discussion topic. As I let that discussion play out in my head, I realized that there was no way I’d get through the work I needed to get done if I spent time texting. So, I suggested that we better discuss this in person and ducked out.

I think the insight for me is that we often unconsciously tie ourselves down to whichever channel we receive communication in and don’t question if that would be the right place for continuing it. Having so many possible channels is a blessing simply because we can tailor the communication to the right channel. That only works if we use it well.

A wiser friend regularly responds to emails that require a long response with a phone call. Of course, this may not work for everyone at every time. But, he has a point. Sometimes, it is just better to pick up the phone.

phone, pick up

Paying the smartphone tax – The 200 words project

Building on last weekend’s note on Attention residue and shallow work, here’s this week’s 200 word idea –

Seth Godin shared the costs of using the smartphone –

1. Urgent vs. important. The phone has been optimize to buzz and highlight the urgent. A day on the phone = a day when we buried the important.

2. Losing the moment. Since the world is in our pocket, it is harder for us to be here, right now.

3. Brevity over density. Since everything is done in a hurry, it makes sense to consume and produce “byte-sized” content (GTG, LOL). Is brevity the goal in how we spend our lives?

4. The Filter bubble. The closed gardens of the smart phone world mean we’re most likely to consume ideas that we already understand, from people we already agree with – echo chambers.

5. Easily off the hook. Because it is so easy to hit send or share, we can relieve the tension of creation with a click.

Like most things that are taxed, smart phones are often worth it, creating connections and giving us information when we need it. Perhaps, though, turning our phones off for six hours a day would be a useful way to cornering us into creating work we can’t live without.

“I don’t read work e-mails after 7 pm or on weekends, and if you work for me, may I suggest you put down your phone?” | Grey’s Anatomy TV Producer Shonda Rhimes’ email signature

Source and thanks to: Seth Godin’s wonderful blog – as is the case with Seth’s posts, the original is far better than my edited 200 word version. :)

PS: A fun and insightful add on the topic- a 5 min video of Louis C.K. on mobile phones, kids, solitude and happiness

smartphone tax,Image source

Saying 3 things

In all forms of public speaking and presentations, I’m a big fan of boiling everything you have to say down to 3 things. There are 3 advantages (of course) to doing so –

1. People don’t remember more than 3 things anyway. (Moreover, if the 3 things seem disconnected, the chances are high that your audience will remember just one.)

2. You save yourself from rambling while also harnessing a powerful principle – structure makes you look smarter.

3. Yes, there might be many more important things to add. But, by picking 3 of the most important factors, you’ve likely boiled it all down to the essence. And, for the most part, the essence is all your listeners need.

Like all wonderful simple ideas, this is incredibly powerful when executed consistently.

3 thingsSource

A few notes on British Airways: Fuelled by Love

British Airways has a fantastic piece of advertising up – a 5 minute ad movie titled “Fuelled by Love.”

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFb01yTR9bA%5B/embedyt%5D

A few notes as I reflected on it –

1. British Airways had a bit of a public goof a few months ago when India’s cricket icon, Sachin Tendulkar, took to Twitter to express his annoyance at recent service received by BA. The customer service person managing Twitter by responding to Sachin’s tweet and asking for his full name. That enraged his fan base (~9M followers at that time). I am not quite sure if this ad series is in response to that but I’m sure it contributed to it.

2. While this is undoubted a fairly long ad at 5 minutes, it is a compelling watch. To the Director’s credit, it has all the aspects of a great 5 minute watch – many emotions, good acting and a sweet story. It also helps that it starts with “Inspired by a true story” – as human beings, we are suckers for that line.

3. The biggest reason I termed it fantastic is because the BA Advertising team demonstrated mastery over many small details. The BA brand is mentioned just the right number of times without it feeling too much – it, of course, helps that the Air Hostess is in BA colors. Love is a great theme because it isn’t something many people associate with flying. But, they layered all too familiar emotions of sadness and uncertainty in the story that we can all relate to. By bringing this all together nicely, they almost managed to personify what BA stands for. And, that’s powerful.

4. “Loving India back since 1924” is the tag line at the end. This is clever use of the colonial relationship. Hat tip to whoever thought of that.

5. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the ad.

6. And, I’m glad they kept the movie grounded in reality – you see, that sort of a bond between an air steward and a passenger is near impossible in Economy class. :-)

Well played, British Airways.