⏱ 4-minute read
In SITDE #29 (“Learn Anything in 7 Days”), I shared my rapid learning method.
It’s my system for getting up to speed on a narrow topic.
The internet empowers humans to devour the world’s information in seconds. It is akin to having the Library of Alexandria in our pockets.
The Knowledge Paradox
But lately, I’ve been thinking about the perils of knowing too much.
A rabbit hole excursion last week took me into the labyrinth of YouTube where I watched a 1960 interview of Orson Welles on BBC.
The conversation centered around the creation of Citizen Kane.
Welles made the movie when he was only 25 years old. 👀
It was his first feature film.
He had already gained fame as a radio personality, actor, and director, and he asked (and received) unprecedented creative control over the film by RKO Pictures, the studio that produced it.
The interviewer asks Welles:
And the director’s response:
“Ignorance sheer ignorance. There is no confidence to equal it. It's only when you know something about a profession that you are timid or careful.” - Orson Welles
When I heard Welles’ response, it triggered another clip that I saved from listening to Krista Tippett’s conversation with Rick Rubin on her podcast On Being (one of my top 5 podcasts).
Rubin co-founded Def Jam Recordings in 1984, which went on to become one of the most important and influential record labels in hip-hop music. He produced many of the label's biggest hits, including albums by Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys.
In addition to his work at Def Jam, Rubin has produced a lot of music you’ve listened to, à la: Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, and Kanye West, to name a few.
At one point, Tippett asks Rubin how he had the audacity to create the kind of music he enjoys.
His response:
“There’s great wisdom in ignorance.” - Rick Rubin
Final Thoughts
Maybe the most important thing “to know” (can we really know anything?) is that something lights us up. 💡
What if the necessary (and not merely sufficient) condition for acting on our creative impulses is a deep desire to do the thing?
In a world where there are infinite outcomes and no “correct moves”, let’s create for the sake of creating.
I love you.
Stay In The Deep End.
I spend my time speaking, writing, reading and thinking (oh and shuttling five kids across Austin, Texas).
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