💌 6 Things Thursday #45

Hey there,

‍

Here another mircodose of experiences--made by me, Raad—CEO of Lawtrades and head honcho at Spacecult.

‍

1/ An interview I read

‍

Daniel Ek

‍

The basic gist is we all have our moments when we're the most inspired, right? Whether that’s when we're driving our car, whether it's showering, or whether we're listening to something and we get an idea.

For me, as I said, that often happens on my walks. I find those moments to be the most valuable ones. I will say, nine times out of ten nothing comes of them, because the idea turns out not to be that great. But that one time where it is great, it truly changes business.

‍

In the early days of the startup, when everyone sat next to each other and had all the context, when everyone could talk to everyone about any idea, the ideas were flowing.

‍

How do you get that vibe and retain it when you're a large company? I think you need to create a space where ideas can flourish and risks can be taken – where serendipity can take place. You have to remove all the barriers to this.

‍

I call people when I'm inspired by something and throw out lots of different ideas. Again, nine times out of ten what I say is completely worth shit. But every now and then, I come up with something that's super relevant for someone; something that changes how they look at an issue. This can lead to super interesting breakthroughs.

‍

Most of our large strategic breakthroughs have been exactly that: either because I came up with something or someone came up with something and bounced that idea off me in that moment.

‍

2/ A video I watched

‍

First principles thinking is an approach that was used by the philosopher Aristotle and now often cited by entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Charlie Munger. It allows them to break down complicated problems into basic elements to see opportunities that others miss.

‍

3/ A photo I took

‍

‍

I took this at the MoMA where my wife took me for my 33rd birthday. Here’s the backstory:

‍

This art installation is filled with pill-shaped mylar balloons, which functions as a metaphor for seeking a temporary remedy for an illness—physical or social—rather than examining its root causes. As the balloons’ helium levels decrease, they fall and guests invited to take a deflated balloon home. The installation thus gradually disappears over time, evoking the lives needlessly lost to to the current pandemic and the harm it’s wrought on our most vulnerable communities.

‍

Here’s some more.

‍

4/ Songs I run to

‍

A (mostly) punk rock playlist I made to help my run faster.

Apple Music / Spotify / YouTube / Soundcloud

‍

5/ An early sketch

‍

6/ A quote I’m pondering

‍

There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.

― Miyamoto Musashi