Intentionality

Maybe the real problem isn’t overabundance of access to information, but the invasive nature of it. In both political and spiritual realms, I’ve always self-identified as “seeker.” I like going out , into the woods or churches or protests or city alleys, and drawing my conclusions from there. I’m a reader, observer, and interviewer—always seeking... See more

The Notebook Rule

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been fault-testing something I’m going to call The Notebook Rule.

It goes like this:

Before any interaction with a screen, I write down, in a notebook, what I intend to do. Then, as soon as I’m done doing that thing, I walk away (close the laptop, put the phone down, literally walk away, etc).

Arthur de Villemandy, co-founder of Capsule, during which I inquired about the tricks employed by his curators. He responded with remarkable clarity, stating, "Curation isn't about accumulating; it's about the art of non-choice. What truly matters is the overall coherence of the selections." This shift from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to NOMO... See more

What this exercise shows students is that just because you have looked at something doesn’t mean that you have seen it. Just because something is available instantly to vision does not mean that it is available instantly to consciousness. Or, in slightly more general terms: access is not synonymous with learning. What turns access into learning is... See more

There are so many people who don’t know what they want. And I think that, in this world, that’s the only thing you have to know — exactly what you want. ... Doing what you were born to do ... That’s the way to be happy.