Make Classics, Not Content - More To That

We understand that our favorite creatives are the ones that invest significant time and energy toward a brilliant piece of work. That this devotion to quality is the window into their genius.

However, we tend to conveniently put this dedication aside for our own work. We like to tout “quantity over quality,” and advise others to optimize for width r... See more

Content is the commodification of creativity. It’s the piecemealing and packaging of art so that it can be delivered at regular intervals to satisfy the needs of the attention economy. In an era where media is forever abundant, content is what people create to show and remind others that they exist.

But what I keep in mind is that the works that have influenced me most are the classics. The works that were obviously inspired by an internal commitment to depth, and not an external fulfillment of timely expectations. If I want to create something that I’m truly proud of, then I know that this type of commitment is a pre-requisite, not an option.

The way I put this into practice is by regularly publishing short-form posts, and then periodically taking a few weeks (or months) to go deep into one long-form post.2 The short-form posts keep me in a playful spirit, allowing me to touch all kinds of topics that I find intriguing. The commitment level is low, while the spontaneity is high. Anythin... See more