I'm struck by just how much quality material is published on a continual basis. I started this monthly medley both to recommend and track what pieces resonated with me each month. It can be difficult to keep up with the constant deluge of great work in any meaningful way, so I'm looking for better ways to interact and engage with what I've enjoyed.
To kick things off, I've been enjoying this weekly video series from composer Paolo Cattaneo. He wonderfully captures the intersection of music and life, with a meditative blend of the mundane and the beautiful. In this video he is working alone, but others in the series show him alongside a diverse cast of musicians and friends. Stylistically inspiring if nothing else.
On the other end of the spectrum, this recent profile of Palmer Luckey seeks to answer: How much room do you really have to maneuver within society's constraints? I was generally familiar with the two main businesses Luckey founded, Oculus and Anduril Industries, I had no idea about the complex history and obsession embedded within both companies. While it's quite long, the ideas and vision captured in the piece are well worth your time.
For your monthly motivation, look no further than Scott Young's essay: Do The Real Thing. If there's something you want to do, you're almost always better off just starting it. It's easy to justify spending more time researching and thinking about what you want, but you'll quickly hit diminishing returns on what you can learn without getting your hands dirty.
Or said another way:
Experience over research. Momentum over preparation.
— Here With Ron (@HereWithRon) August 16, 2024
George Monbiot's essay: Choose Life explores what you should prioritize among all the available options. There's a number of valuable insights into how to pursue the kind of work that you actually want to do.
What is your cathedral and how are you building it? I've returned to this NASA speech a number of times over the last month and keep taking away new things. I'm particularly interested in the theme of real reasons vs. acceptable reasons and mapping that distinction onto the motivations behind my current pursuits.
As I've been learning the upright bass over the past few months, I've frequently felt impatient with the slow growth of my physical capacity. I have a sense of what I want to play, but don't yet have the ability to make it happen. This great interview snippet with the iconic Bill Evans reminds me that it's better to do something simple that is real than to try to approximate a yet unreachable idea.
And on the subject of the inherent beauty in simplicity, check out the wonderful music of trumpet player and producer Coulou.
To wrap things up with a book, I'm thankful to my friend T for the recommendation to read George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying. It's a somewhat discouraging read, full of melancholic introspection and longing. Anyone who has grappled with a creative pursuit will find something to relate here.