The Art of Scaling Taste

“Our only goal when we started was to make anything we wanted and only what we wanted.”

The more people who buy a product, the further the product’s message spreads, the more money the company makes, the more they can invest in their projects. It's a virtuous cycle of creation and consumption. By making scale—the number of people who use or see the creation—an explicit part of the art’s statement, they naturally marry the business’s g... See more

Taste is the bone-deep feeling that you’ve made something good. It is a sense, inexplicable and ephemeral. But it’s also a tangible skill that’s increasingly essential. Taste is how a business differentiates itself when attention is scarce and choice is abundant. Knowing what to make is just as important as the ability to make it.

There’s an even b... See more

learned how an object's inherent properties can make it grow quickly.

To me, the key to keeping taste is to be true to yourself. While I recognize that that sentiment would be more appropriate on a wine mom’s wall hanging, it is surprisingly hard. When no one cares about you and you make objects for the simple joy of creation, you’re under no pressure to conform your taste to anyone. When your audience grows—when art... See more

Hype is a flash in the pan. Narrative network effects are durable, long-lasting, and broadly applicable.

Each object gets better with more participation,

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

a daisy chain