Food for Thought No. 5
This week we focus on how to savour these last days of summer, the creative agency of doing more with less and the power of contrast to shape our decisions and actions.
Hi,
Here is your weekly GC Food for Thought newsletter - curated insights to help you thrive in a world grappling with uncertainty and exponential change.
Every Sunday morning this summer, you'll receive GC's 3-2-1 newsletter with 3 ideas to explore, 2 things to read, and one question for you.
There are only fifteen days ‘till Labour Day.
That's it!
This week we focus on how to savour these last days of summer, the creative agency of doing more with less and the power of contrast to shape our decisions and actions.
EXPLORE
I. Savouring moments, presence and flow
When I know something is finite, I have learned to focus on savouring it rather than worrying it will end. I become aware of its temporariness.
“The most precious gift we can offer (ourselves) and others is presence"
-Thich Nhat Hahn
For these next 15 days ‘till Labour day, how can you savour all the time with loved ones, seasonal delights, pleasures, joys, experiences and luxuries this weather and time affords? Related to savouring moments, comes our ability to be present. We can only savour things when we are present. This ability to be present to the moment gets harder in an attention scarce economy.
From presence, comes our ability to enter a state of flow. Steven Kotler, our past Gamechanger guest, defines flow as:
“"An optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best. In order to access this state of flow, we need to be deeply present to the moment. Flow refers to those moments where everything else disappears. Flow follows focus. It only shows up when our attention is right here, right now."
Flow allows us to enter a state of near-perfect decision making. Some triggers to help us access a state of flow include uninterrupted time, novel experiences, unpredictable experiences, taking some risk, and being in nature - all amazing things to focus our attention on as we savour the last moments of summer.
- For more on flow, listen to the rest of Steven Kotler's Gamechanger Session. For more on presence, see our Read section below.
II. Creative agency
In a world where access to "creator" tools is democratized, "creative agency" is a skill on the rise. In social science, agency is defined as "the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices."
Add in the word "creative" and it means the ability to express your creative view and share your creative outputs independently. Digital tools and platforms are allowing people with the right mindset, creative agency and effort to thrive.
As I write this, I realize I am one of those people - I did not wait to get a traditional publisher contract to be able to share my creativity with all of you. Instead, I took advantage of the rising set of tools for the creative class, in this case, Substack, to deliver my point of view. I see this moment in history as just the beginning of the rise of the creator class. As AI takes over work that is rote and automated, humans are left to focus on offering the skills of creativity, judgement and empathy.
It appears that the atomic unit of creativity gets smaller and smaller these days enabling more people to risk their time, attention and ego in developing creative outputs. Rolling funds, which launched recently, allow creators (micro VCs or solo VCs) to deploy their agency, creativity and judgement on a smaller atomic unit of time invested and commitment required from LPs. Learning pods are emerging as a response by parents and teachers to use their creativity to allow small groups of kids to learn together online or virtually. Livestreams, like the one we started at Gamechanger this spring, allow creators to deliver content and creativity to an audience in a series or an even smaller atomic unit, a live session.
At Gamechanger, we're very interested in helping organizations and leaders develop their creative agency and we are working on a new tech platform for creators to manifest their creative agency.
- More on the rise of the creator economy and the tools to support the creative class from a16z.
If you are a creator in this community, we want to talk to you about your experience creating! Drop us a line here.
III. Contrast
To see things clearly, and appreciate things fully, it helps to have contrast. Happiness is relative for most people and awareness is relative too - we are all products of our access and exposure.
This week, I was struck by contrast. I was away for two weeks without good internet, and so only this week do I appreciate the full value of high-speed internet I have access to. My dear mom fractured and bruised both her wrists this week, and only in these moments are we awakened to the contrast of full mobility and health.
With the election in the US being 71 days away, and watching the DNC convention this past week, I am struck by the contrast and hopeful (but not certain) that it will be a force for change.
- More on contrast in the upcoming US election from the Economist.
EXPLORE
I. Roger Martin on the need for democratic capitalism
One of my favourite guests this past series at Gamechanger was Roger Martin, a brilliant thinker who makes an impassioned and rational plea for a system that favours resilience over efficiency.
As we head into the US election and we begin to think about how we as leaders, consumers and citizens can act to create change, Roger's new book is more relevant than ever. He offers practical solutions to create a system that is more resilient, than efficient and offers an eloquent overview of what it means to live in a complex adaptive system.
- Pre-order his book here, read this article he wrote 2 days ago here, watch his Gamechanger talk here and sign up for his next live session here.
II. How to Sit, Eat, Love, Walk, Relax, Fight, See and Connect
World-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, teaches us the art of being present.
Read this delightful Mindfulness Essentials collection on how to be more present in all aspects of life.
These little books offer practical and thoughtful guidance on meditation and the art of living consciously in an attention-starved world and are the perfect short reads to wake us up to live consciously for the next 15 days of summer.
REFLECT
I. Presence and reflection
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
How can you be more present in your life these next few weeks? Can you focus your attention on creating the conditions that allow you to trigger your flow state? What rituals of presence, mindfulness and savouring experiences can you put in place to make the most of these last 15 days of summer?
Share your thoughts with us on twitter @gamechanger_co.
Tweetable Takeaways
I.
"The most precious gift we can offer (ourselves) and others is presence" - Thich Nhat Hahn. When you know something is finite, savour it, rather than worrying it will end.
Being present is an art."
II.
“The atomic unit of creativity is getting smaller access to 'creator' tools are democratized. Creative agency is a skill on the rise as these tools enable more people to risk their time & attention in developing creative outputs.
Think substack, live-streams, rolling funds & learning pods.”
III.
"Contrast helps us see things clearly and appreciate them fully. We are all products of our access and exposure. Happiness and awareness are both relative."
Thanks for tuning in.
See you next weekend.
Best,
Candice
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P.S. You can watch all previous Gamechanger sessions and see highlights on our website. We'll land in your inbox 1x a week. No spam, we promise.
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