Hey friend,
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas.
Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics — five things I’ve been pondering or exploring that will send you into the weekend with a thought, chuckle, weep (or nasty combination of the three).
Welcome to the thirteen new friends receiving this for the first time (426 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
As always, I hope nobody is reading this, but if you are, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote this week
Have you ever had an idea pop up out of thin air that just lingers?
It could be wonderful or it could be ridiculous, but that’s not for you to decide. After a while it starts to feel obvious to you.
So why not share it and let the world decide because sometimes what’s:
Book I’m so glad I finally started reading
A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech.
This old book had been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for years until I heard a guest on The Tim Ferriss Show say it was his favorite book on creativity.
What’s the opposite of creative? That’s me. I thought it’s something you’re either born with or not.
But this book made me realize creativity is a skill that can be honed. It’s filled with fun creative exercises to get your mind lifting some creative dumbbells.
I just finished it yesterday but I already want to reread it, it’s that good.
Online writer I’m enjoying
over at .His tagline instantly caught my attention — “not trying to be more clever, just trying to be less stupid.”
Brilliant.
It’s so fun finding others out there who you know you’d be friends with after coming across their writing. Start with his most popular piece to get a taste of his style:
At first glance, it looks like this post just effortlessly came together. It flows beautifully, is easy on the eyes, and feels like a friend just having a conversation with you. But that’s how you know it took a ton of effort for those exact same reasons.
Check it out, you won’t be disappointed. And if you are, don’t tell him I sent you!
What would 18 year old you think of you today?
Nassim Taleb posed this question in a commencement speech as the best indicator of how you’re life is going.
It’s thought provoking but is it actually useful?
18 year old me had one goal and one goal alone — to be an NBA all star. Anything short of that would have been utter disaster. But that didn’t happen.
Does that mean my life has been a complete failure?
18 year old you had no clue what was in store for your future and that’s great! And I find it hard to believe that your 18 year old self really knew what the good life looked like.
Maybe I’m just rationalizing but I hope not.
A better question seems to be — what would your 80 year old self think of the decisions you’re making today?
Random thought
I want to visit more junkyards so I can be reminded of the ultimate destination of so much of what we claim will make us happy.
That’s it for the 70th edition of Arman’s Antics.
I hope you didn’t make it this far, but if you did, please don’t join my board of creative directors below.
Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Wishing you and yours a fabulous Friday!
Cheers,
Arman
I enjoyed reading the article about Procrastination. I find the idea of "direction" moving is so helpful. It truly is about the work, and moving the needle forward. Newport's upcoming book Slow Productivity underscores this. That deep focus offers us the beauty of a more deep and meaningful creative life.
Arman, I am so grateful for the mention, thank you 🙏. Great round-up, and you've sealed permanent legend status for your reference to Nassim Taleb. Keep it up!!