Genius v.s. Scenius (The Lone Genius Is Dead)
A weekly newsletter for the creative entrepreneur.
(and anyone looking to take more control over their own lives)
Here are 3 pieces of internet I found this week
that made me happier, smarter, or more creative.
I. Genius v.s Scenius
(The Lone Genius Is Dead)
“There’s a healthier way of thinking about creativity that the musician Brian Eno refers to as “scenius.” Under this model, great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals — artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers — who make up an “ecology of talent.” If you look back closely at history, many of the people who we think of as lone geniuses were actually part of “a whole scene of people who were supporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from each other, stealing ideas, and contributing ideas.” Scenius doesn’t take away from the achievements of those great individuals: it just acknowledges that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds.”
“Show Your Work! — Austin Kleon
“Genius is an ecosystem, scenius is an ecosystem.”
I think the idea of a scenius could grow into something huge, especially with the rise of internet creatives over the last 5–10 years. As an “alternative” video platform, YouTubers including Thomas Frank & Ali Abdaal (and many more at https://standard.tv/) are helping to build Nebula, a place that tailors their content to their audience, not to unskippable ads or recommendation algorithms.
This is a platform born out of a scenius;
out of a need and idea of a scene of creatives.
II. “Take the next step, no more, no less,
and the next will be revealed to you.”
When dealing with work and creation (art, business, freelance) it can be easy to get overwhelmed. You can only plan so much and in a world of increasing complexity, I find it very helpful to come back to this phrase. When the path to success isn’t clear… “Take the next step, no more, no less, and the next will be revealed to you.” Great video on this quote below.
The Taoist Mantra That Changed My Life — Captain Sinbad
III. Locus Of Control
“The degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over the outcome of elements in their lives.”
In the video below, Joey (Better Ideas) points out that successful people seem to have an internal Locus Of Control, as opposed to unsuccessful people who seem to have an external one.
The mindset that’s changing my life — Better Ideas
Practical Productivity Tip of the Week:
HOW TO SPEED READ IN 60 SECONDS
Speed reading isn’t some superpower that people are born with or a highly-secret skill kept by the most esteemed super-nerds. It’s actually really easy.
Step 1. Use Your Peripherals
Keep your fixation point (visual gaze on a single location) in the middle third of the page and let your peripheral vision pick up words on the outer edge of the page. (Demonstration in my video)
Step 2. Don’t Vocalize Words In Your Head
If you are hearing/vocalizing words in your head when you read, you are capping your reading speed at the same speed as your speaking voice. (This one will feel weird at first)
Step 3. Use Your Finger ALWAYS
Following along with your finger or a ruler/pointer reduces saccadic eye movements that cause you to skip a line or lose your place while reading. (Pro tip: Combine this with the first step by only moving your finger inside the fixation lines)
The more comfortable you get with these methods, the faster you can go!
Double Your Reading Speed In 60 Seconds (Video)
